Life as a SOLDIER
by Fairy Red
Summary: .:On Hiatus, AU:. Training hard to be strong, tangled love lives; mixed with lies and betrayal, corruption, and a revolution at hand. You're in SOLDIER now, boy; you'll get what you came here for, even if it kills you. Chapter 49 up.
1. Chapter 1

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **She owns not Square Enix, Final Fantasy, or any other related characters and such. This story is a work of pure fiction, and is in no way based off of the game nor the movie. This is just Fairy Red's idea on what would've happened if/when Cloud joined Shinra to become a SOLDIER. If you don't like spontaneous random ideas such as these, then Fairy Red kindly asks that you don't read this. Thank you.

**A/N: **…that was kinda formal. Hmm. Anyway, as Disclaimer said, this is 100 fanfiction. I'm not basing any of this fanfic on the game or the movie. I wrote this for my own enjoyment, but if you like it, that's cool. So, let's begin!

Oh, BTW, this is a repost.. Thanks for correcting my mistake, StarlightPhoenix! ; I forgot for a second…

**Mario (in undertone): **It's been a long time since she last played FF7...

**Me: **No, it wasn't! I last played it…

**Mario: **Yep, in 2002.

**Me: **TT Mario, leave.

**Mario: **leaves

**Me: **Anyway, I've corrected the mistake. Sorry for any confusion I might have caused. ahem let's carry on.

**Prologue: The New SOLDIER**

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Cloud looked up at the huge building that was called Shinra. Standing not a day older then 16, Cloud looked back once at what he could possibly be leaving behind forever…

"Excuse me!" called a voice. Cloud jumped and looked forward to see a man about 23 years old run towards him. "You're Cloud Strife, right?" asked the man.

Cloud nodded. "Yes," he agreed quietly, not quite meeting the man's eyes.

The man looked Cloud up and down. "You don't look like the right build for joining SOLDIER," he aid half to himself.

"…I came here to become stronger," said Cloud in the same quiet tone. "I heard that Shinra does great things for this planet, so…"

"Hmm…all right," said the man. "Follow me."

The man motioned for Cloud to follow him, and led Cloud inside Shinra. "Come this way," said the man, leading Cloud down a hallway. There were many other SOLDIERs around, and they all stopped and cast Cloud curious looks as he walked by.

Cloud bent his head lower as to not meet anyone's eyes, and followed the man. Soon, the man stopped in front of a room, and knocked on the door. "Hey, Zack," said the man. "Open up, we have a new kid."

_New kid?_ thought Cloud to himself as he heard someone inside the room reply, "A new kid? Sure, I'm coming!"

The sounds of a chair being pulled back and footsteps were heard, and the door opened to reveal a tall dark-bluish hair and striking green eyes. The man called Zack looked Cloud up and down. "Are you sure this is SOLDIER material?" asked Zack, casting Cloud a wary eye. "He looks like he'd not last a week."

Cloud didn't respond, and the man answered, "He, Cloud Strife, said he wished to come here to be in SOLDIER."

"…Okay. I'll take him to that room," said Zack.

"That room?" repeated Cloud, speaking at last, looking up at Zack. _He's tall,_ thought Cloud to himself. _He's got to be at least 3 inches taller then me…!_

"That room," repeated Zack calmly. "Don't worry, Cloud's quite…ah, safe in my hands," said Zack to the man, placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Sure thing, Zack," said the man as he walked down the hallway.

"Er…" started Cloud, at a loss of what to say next.

Zack walked ahead a few paces, and rounded on Cloud. "You want to join SOLDIER to become stronger?" asked Zack.

Cloud nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"…how old are you, kid?" asked Zack.

"Hardly a kid," muttered Cloud. "I'm…I'm nineteen…" Cloud blinked. _Why did I lie like that?_

"Around these parts, 19 is a kid," said Zack matter-of-factly, not noticing cCoud's momentarily guilty expression. "I'm a kid myself," remarked Zack cheerfully.

Cloud said nothing.

"Cloud, don't you ever talk?" asked Zack.

Cloud shrugged, not saying anything.

"Oh, so you're a quiet guy," said Zack. "Well, I'm afraid that won't do for me," Zack told Cloud flatly. "SOLDIERs are not quiet and shy."

"…but …but I…" started Cloud, not looking up.

"No buts!" said Zack. "Come on, let me take you to the assembly, a meeting's about to start anyway. It'll tell you everything you want to know about being in SOLDIER and the dangers and responsibilities. Got it?"

"Okay," muttered Cloud, following Zack to a huge room where thousands of other SOLDIER-hopefuls awaited to hear the assembly.

"Okay, I don't need to hear the assembly, so I'll come back when it's done, okay?"

"Wait--wait!" stammered Cloud, looking up in shock at Zack. "You're leaving me?"

Zack raised an eyebrow. "What, do you need me in there with you to hold your hand?"

"…no, it's just…" Cloud cast his eyes to the floor again. "Nothing…"

"You wanted to be in SOLDIER, right?" asked Zack as he started to walk away. He nodded his head in Cloud's direction. "Hang in there," he said with a smirk as he close the door.

Cloud stood in shock for a second, then found a seat in the back of the room. _At least I'm away from others_, thought Cloud. _At least I can get comfortable here… _Cloud sat down, thought for a dew more seconds, then sprawled out onto two chairs, falling asleep as the assembly started.

**With Zack…**

Once outside, Zack sighed wearily and leaned on the door. "Sheesh…." he sighed as he walked to his room. "They always leave the newbie to me…" Zack closed the door to his room and sat at his laptop, thinking. _…_he_ won't be happy about this,_ thought Zack. _I wonder what _he_ will do when _he_ meets Cloud…_ Zack opened his laptop, and typed up the report of "his" genes. "…when _he_ sees Clouds genes… _he_ won't be happy…"

Cloud's profile was already written up. It was written up as soon as Cloud was born. "Hmm… it says here that he's sixteen… Oh, well." Zack's eyes narrowed slightly. "I wonder… how one of Jenova's cells could've gotten into you, when…" Zack clicked up another profile. "…Sephiroth won't be pleased," said Zack with something like an ironic smile. "Hopefully, Sephiroth won't pay much attention to Cloud…"

Zack glanced out the window, seeing the sun set. "Ah, who am I kidding?" asked Zack, shaking his head. "To make things work out, I'll arrange a meeting between them…"

**4 hours later, with Cloud…**

Cloud blinked awake. "…?" he asked. He sat up, and realized that everyone was standing and clamoring loudly, all rushing to sign up to be in SOLDIER. "Oh, no! Did I fall asleep?" he gasped to himself. Looking around frantically, Cloud hurried to the front with everyone else, and quickly signed his name on the paper.

Zack watched from the doorway. _Kid, did you miss the assembly? Have you any idea that you just signed your life away…?_

Cloud looked around, spotted Zack with a gasp and hurried towards Zack. "There you are," said Cloud, not looking at Zack, but rather at the wall. "I've signed up, like you said to."

Zack blinked. "You'd do anything I say?" asked Zack.

"What…? No, I wouldn't," stammered Cloud, looking flustered for some reason. "Uh…where do I stay? I'm--I'm tired."

"…follow me," said Zack. He took Cloud upstairs to the third floor and to a room at the end of the hallway. "Here's your room," Zack announced cheerfully, kicking the door proudly. "Go on in."

Cloud hesitated, then he entered the room. He flicked the light switch on and looked around. "It'll do," he said quietly. "Thank you…"

"Huh?" asked Zack. "I couldn't hear you."

"…nothing…good night…"

"Night," answered Zack, closing the door with a shrug.

After Zack left, Cloud flopped himself back-first onto the bed, looking at the ceiling. _It's not what I expected…_ thought Cloud. _But…if this SOLDIER will get me stronger for Tifa…Then I'll do it…_ He closed his eyes and thought about the promise he made to Tifa before he left…

**Flashback- the day before Cloud's 16th birthday…**

"Cloud!" called Tifa. "I'm glad you waited for me! When I heard that you were going to leave to go to Shinra, I just knew you wouldn't leave me without saying good-bye!"

Cloud looked up at his friend. Tifa was about one year older then him, but he and Tifa have always been good friends. "Of course I wouldn't leave you without saying good-bye," said Cloud. "I'd never leave without saying good-bye to my best friend."

Tifa smiled. "I'm glad…" she turned to face the road, and turned back to Cloud. "Hey, Cloud," she started.

"Yes, Tifa?"

"…why are you leaving?"

Cloud blinked. The question had caught him off-guard. "Why I'm leaving…? I…I don't have a reason, really… I guess I just…want to be stronger…"

"Cloud, if you want to be stronger, you could stay with me." Tifa's tone wasn't accusatory, it was inviting Cloud to say something to Tifa (something special!).

"…like what?"

Tifa laughed, and held out her pinky. "Promise me something, okay? Promise me something right here, right now!"

"Promise?" repeated Cloud.

"Yes!" Tifa hooked her pinky around Cloud's. "Promise me that when you get to Shinra, to become SOLDIER…don't ever lose strength, okay? Grow strong, and come back to visit me. You promise?"

Cloud held his pinky there with Tifa's for a second; then he smiled and nodded. "Yes, Tifa, I promise to grow strong so that I can come back to visit you."

"Okay! You promised me, Cloud! Don't forget!"

**End flashback…**

Cloud opened his eyes. _Now that I'm here…_ thought Cloud sadly, _the way things are apparently run here…I'll do my best_, thought Cloud determinedly. He rolled onto his side, looked out the window, and drifted into an easy sleep.

**With Zack…**

Zack was reading Cloud's profile. _It's no wonder,_ Zack was thinking to himself as he ate a bowl of chips. _He looks as if he'll be very easy to program… Shachoo wants to use Cloud to test the new programs… But…why…? _Zack looked up at the ceiling. "…maybe Sephiroth knows something about him I don't yet… Whatever that is, I'll find out…" frowning slightly, Zack turned his attention to the computer and read through Cloud's "current program".

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**A slight mini cliffhanger for you. I think. Ah, heck, I was never good at the whole "cliffhangers" thing…Well, stay tuned for more.**


	2. Chapter 2

-1**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Written purely for entertainment. And from memory, she got several "inspirations" after watching FF7AC over a million times…

**A/N: **So what? I could watch that movie a hundred times and never get bored of it. I could watch it a thousand times and never get bored of it! The same way I was with the game! I finished it over a hundred times, and I'm not tired of playing FF7, or watch FF7AC! Hah! Anyway, let's keep it moving.

**Chapter One: Sephiroth**

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Cloud blinked awake. "…" he grunted, sitting up on the bed. "Yawn…what time is it?" asked Cloud, looking around for a clock. But there was no clock anywhere. "Sigh…I'll go ask Zack for the time," decided Cloud, getting off the bed.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and Zack's voice called, "Cloud! Wake up, I've got your uniform ready!"

"Uniform?" repeated Cloud curiously, opening the door to let Zack in. "Just in time, I was about to go get you."

"Oh, so you're awake?" asked Zack. He thrusted an black cloth-made outfit with boots, gloves, and a shoulder pad into Cloud's arms. "Here, put these on, everyone's waiting."

"Everyone who?" asked Cloud as he held the outfit up at arms length to get good view of it.

"Well, everyone no one, I'm afraid, breakfast started twenty minutes ago. If you want to eat this morning, you'd better hurry, breakfast ends in another hour."

"Where do I go for breakfast then?" asked Cloud/

"Go down to the first floor, go right and go down the hallway to the first door on the left. We hold all meals in that room."

"Okay."

"Okay," agreed Zack, walking out of the room. "Do try to hurry, okay? Training starts at 10:00 sharp, and I want to give you a full tour of Shinra before we begin. Hurry up," repeated Zack as he closed the door.

"Training?" repeated Cloud. "Hmm…I wonder what kind of training Zack means…?"

After Cloud had changed into his new uniform, he hurried out of the room and headed for the stairs. He passed a group of other SOLDIERs and he did a double take when he noticed Zack among them.

"Yeah, I've been wondering how I could ask that attractive secretary to dinner tonight," boasted Zack loudly as he and his group neared Cloud. "I'm so hot, she'd say yes in a little bit!"

"With hair like yours?" asked Cloud loudly as he moved past Zack's group, casting Zack an annoyed look over his shoulder as he went down the stairs.

Zack stopped in shock and so did the other SOLDIERs he was walking with. "Did--What did you say!" demanded Zack angrily, but Cloud continued to walk down the stairs, either not noticing Zack or ignoring him. "The nerve!" exclaimed Zack.

"Dude, is he that golden-haired newbie you told us about? The one with blonde hair?" asked another SOLDIER.

"The very same," said Zack with an irritable head gesture.

"He's only been here for barely more then a day and already he's making bold comments on us higher rank SOLDIERs?" asked another SOLDIER in shock.

"Can we beat him up?" asked the first SOLDIER.

Zack nodded. "Okay, let's go!" the two SOLDIERs who were with Zack chased after Cloud down the stairs. "…!" blinked Zack as he watched the two SOLDIERs easily catch up to Cloud.

"Yo, blondie!" yelled the first SOLDIER, coming behind Cloud.

Cloud looked back at him in surprise but he didn't say anything.

"We heard what you said to our buddy Zack," said the second SOLDIER. "And guess what? He didn't like it."

"So he asked us to beat you up!"

"What?" asked Cloud in shock. "I--I didn't mean it!"

"Sure, you didn't!" said the second SOLDIER. "Get him!"

Zack blinked again as he watched them beat Cloud up. "…I didn't mean it, either," said Zack with an exasperated sigh. "Don't worry, I'm coming…" Zack hurried down the stairs just as the two SOLDIERs were done beating Cloud up tossing the blonde into a corner.

"There, Zack, we got him for you," said the second SOLDIER.

"Aren't we good friends?" asked the first SOLDIER proudly.

"Uh, guys, I didn't really want you to beat him up."

"Huh? But you said…?"

"I was just angry. But never mind, what's done is done." Zack waved for the two SOLDIERs to go on. "Go down without me, I'll get Cloud to the infirmary."

"Sure," said the first SOLDIER with a carefree shrug, and he and the other SOLDIER hurried down the stairs.

Zack sighed again and looked down at Cloud. "Cloud?" he asked.

Cloud winced and looked up at Zack. "Hey, Zack," he said, trying to get up.

"Hey, are you all right?" asked Zack, helping Cloud sit up.

"I'm--I'm fine," muttered Cloud, looking away. "Just a little shocked…"

"I'm sorry," said Zack. "Those two SOLDIERs are two ranks below me; I'm training them right now, and they take anything I say literally." _Or should I say programmed…? I'd better fix that later on…_

"That's okay, I'm fine," said Cloud quietly, rubbing his cheek as he stood up.

"Are you sure you want to go down to breakfast now?" asked Zack. "We should really have that cheek looked at."

"I'm fine!" insisted Cloud, giving Zack a blue-eyed-pouty look (like the one he did in the movie when he was talking to Rufus Shinra when he said "Kaeri.").

"…Fine. Come on then," said Zack, and he turned and hurried down the stairs.

"Ah! Wait for me!" yelled Cloud as he gave chase.

Zack, however, was faster, and he hurried into the cafeteria with his friends. "Hey, guys!" called Zack.

"Hey, Zack, you brought your laptop?" asked one SOLDIER.

"I sure did," replied Zack as he sat down. "What's for breakfast?"

"Oh, the usual," said another SOLDIER with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That pancake stuff and stuff. So, Zack, you gonna program Cloud today? To see if he's easy?"

"Oh, yeah!" said Zack, pulling out his laptop. "Let me see…" he looked towards the door. "Cloud's not here yet…" Zack turned the laptop on, clicked on a few files and finally came to a file marked "programs". "Yes…here it is, 'Cloud Strife'… Let me see…" Zack thought for a few minutes. "What should I have him do first?"

"Make him dress in drag and do the hula!" yelled a SOLDIER to agreeing laughter.

"That'll be funny!" agreed Zack, typing on the computer "Cloud dresses in drag and does the hula".

At that moment, Cloud had reached the door, but stopped suddenly. He looked around, and hurried away somewhere.

"Hey, do you suppose he's going to actually do it?" asked another SOLDIER.

They all sat there and waited. "Maybe he's looking for women clothing to do so in?" asked another.

They waited a few more minutes. "Maybe he's just retuned to his room," decided Zack, clicking on an icon marked "visual". "…? Oh, look, he's dancing the hula in his room!"

Some SOLDIERs looked over Zack's shoulder to see. "Hah, look at this!"

"Okay, guys, that's enough," said Zack loudly. He typed up "Cloud realizes what he's doing and stops, gets his outfit back on, and comes down to breakfast".

"Hey, Zack, that's not fun!" yelled another.

"Guys, eat!" commanded Zack.

"Ah, you're no fun," grumbled another SOLDIER as they all gathered back to their seats.

About 10 minutes later, Cloud slowly entered the room, and chose a seat with no one around, his head resting on the table. He gave a deep sigh.

"You suppose he's too embarrassed to come over here?" asked a SOLDIER.

"Just drop it, SOLDIERs!" said Zack. "Just eat."

Cloud looked up and around. When he saw Zack, he looked away suddenly, and he sighed again, stood up and left.

"Hey, where is he going?" asked Zack to himself. He looked around too. "Well… Fine," decided Zack, closing the laptop and standing up.

"Where you going?" asked a SOLDIER.

"Oh, gonna give the newbie a tour of Shinra," answered Zack over his shoulder. "See you at ten." Zack walked out of the room and looked around. "Cloud?" he asked. "Where are you?" Zack looked around a corner, and saw Cloud standing at a foot of stairs, looking up at a tall building. "Hey, Zack," said Cloud, turning around. "Who lives up there?" Cloud pointed to the tall building.

"Oh, that?" Zack looked up at it. "That building, Cloud…is…" Zack looked left, right, then left again, and whispered to Cloud, "Sephiroth's room…"

"Sephiroth?" asked Cloud but Zack shushed him.

"Shh! Quiet, do you want Sephiroth down here? Don't wake him up!"

"But…Who is Sephiroth? Is he the "sachoo" I've been hearing about?"

"No, he's not the sachoo…No, Sephiroth is a SOLDIER of the highest rank. In fact, he's the only highest-ranking SOLDIER in all of Shinra. He's the best of the best."

"Really?" asked Cloud, looking up at the building.

"Yes, but don't let Sephiroth fool you," said Zack with a scoff. "After all, his favorite weapon _is_ a long katana."

"Katana?" repeated Cloud.

"Yeah…er, the weapon he fights with. It had another name, but I forgot what it was called."

"He's good with a long katana?" asked Cloud.

"Good? Cloud, the word 'good' is a severe understatement."

"…?"

"He's so good with that katana…it makes all the SOLDIERs here fear him as well as revere him. With Sephiroth, there is only one rule…"

"What rule is that?" asked Cloud.

Zack glanced up at the tall building, and said slowly, "That rule is…No matter what you do…" he leaned closer to Cloud, "…don't… _ever_… disturb him…under any circumstances," finished Zack, his eye up close to Cloud's face.

Cloud gaped wide-eyed at Zack.

Zack stood up straight, turned around, and stifled a snigger. "Come on, let's explore the rest of Shinra."

Cloud, as he followed Zack, cast one last look back at the tall building. From the window he could see a man with long silver hair looking out the window. The man glanced down at Cloud, and what Cloud saw filled him with horrors. _Aieeeee! That mans scary!_ Cloud hurried to catch up to Zack, being very careful not to look back. For what he just saw was the man with the evilest look one had ever seen.

_So _that's_ Cloud Strife…_ thought Sephiroth as he watched them walk away. _Hmm… I don't see what's so special about him, but… If our lead programmer thinks something strange of it, then I'll investigate it…_

Cloud sighed. _What a morning,_ he thought bleakly. _First I learn that I'm late for breakfast, then I get beat up, then I arrive to breakfast only to suddenly be overcome by a burning desire to dress in drag and do the hula, I decide that I'm not hungry…and I get my first glimpse of the best SOLDIER in Shinra… I wonder what else could possibly be in store for me?_ asked Cloud to himself as he followed Zack through Shinra.

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**Well, that was interesting. I actually get two posts in on one day. Am I a miracle worker. …never mind. Anyway, I hope that if you're still reading this, that you like it. Thank you for reading, and don't forget to review! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

-1**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…this fanfic is "in-progress" all right…

**A/N: **Oh, shut up, at least I'm writing something. This will sooth my writers block I just know it! HAH! MWA HAH HA! Ahem.

I should warn you that this fanfic isn't based off of the game, I thought Disclaimer said that in the prologue. No events were taken from the game nor the movie. This is a look at how different things could have been if everyone regarded Shinra as a good company rather then a bad one. "What if Shinra was a good company that figured out a better way to use energy other then mako?" So that's how this fanfic came to be. But I'll try to stick as close as I can to the original story, if that's what you want, StarlightPhoenix. BTW, thank you for reviewing!

Anyway, let's begin.

**Chapter Two: First Training Day and a Surprise**

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"…and finally, that other building at the top and center of Shinra is sachoo's office. Sachoo is the president of the Shinra company."

"Okay," answered Cloud, making mental notes about everything he learned so far.

"Got it?" asked Zack. "We've explored all of Shinra. And we've got about thirty minutes before training begins… What should we do?"

"What kind of training takes place here?" asked Cloud.

"Fighting, codes, symbols, weaponry, literacy, the works," answered Zack.

"Okay. What kind of fighting? I…uh, I don't have a weapon."

Zack stopped. "What? You don't have a weapon?"

"…no."

"WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY!" demanded Zack grabbing Cloud by the lapels and shaking him like crazy. "YOU IDIOT! ARE YOU SUICIDAL! YOU DON'T EVER JOIN SOLDIER WITHOUT FIRST BRINGING A WEAPON! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING EARLIER!"

"Ahh!" yelled Cloud.

Zack dropped Cloud and grabbed his head. "This can't be! Now we have to get you a weapon right away! Jeez, what's wrong with you?"

"I-I'm sorry," stammered Cloud. "I had no idea I was so serious… I mean, from what I've heard, they give you a weapon."

"For _natural_ SOLDIERs it's true! But for a complete newbie like you, we'll have to go thorough many test and stuff to see what weapon is right for you!"

"You only use weapons that you're good with?" asked Cloud. "Shouldn't you try to use a whole variety of weapons?"

"No!" yowled Zack. "We are the best of the best! So we only train with the weapons we're best with!"

"…okay."

"Come on," said Zack more calmly, hurrying Cloud to a room chock-full of weapons. "Okay, here's how we do things here," he said, gesturing to all of the weapons in the room. "One of these weapons must call to you, right? Which one is calling to you?"

Cloud stared. "Calling to me?" he repeated, looking at all the weapons.

"Yeah… Which weapon is THE one? The very weapon you want to spend the rest of your life with."

"…okay…" Cloud walked beside the weapons, looking at them all. "Hmm…" he mumbled, looking at all of them.

Zack watched, eager to see what weapon Cloud would choose.

Cloud stopped, and pointed at a weapon. "I like these ones," he said.

Zack walked over to see what weapon Cloud chose. "Ah," he said. "Them…um…8 sword things. You think you can handle them, these are very powerful. You need power to work a weapon like that."

"Huh? Isn't it an okay weapon?" asked Cloud.

"It's… a bit more complicated then that," said Zack. "But if you want. Go ahead and test it out. I mean, can you even lift it?" asked Zack, lifting one of Cloud's arms up. "These are scrawny, we definitely need to put muscle on these!"

"Scrawny?" repeated Cloud indignantly. "I'll have you know that where I come from, these are toned muscles!"

"…You're kidding," said Zack.

"No joke," said Cloud with a frown.

"Whatever," said Zack. "Pick it up, let us see what you can do."

Cloud walked to one of the swords, and picked it up. "Uh…" he started. "How am I supposed to carry eight swords at once?"

"What, I thought you'd know," said Zack.

"I wouldn't, I'm the 'newbie', remember?"

"…Oh, yeah," said Zack. "I forgot. Well, here, read this," said Zack, giving Cloud a heavy book with "Weaponry of the Shinra Electric Company" written on the cover.

Cloud opened it wordlessly, and read up on the 8-sword weapon chapter.

"Well?" asked Zack after a few minutes. "You get it?"

"Yeah," answered Cloud.

"Well, then test it out."

"Okay," said Cloud, picking up one of the 8 swords. He looked at the other seven, and looked around. "Er… where can I test it out? It looks like there's no room here to train with swords like these."

"Oh, you go in there," said Zack with a gesture to a door labeled "Test Weapons Here".

Cloud stared it with an open gape, shrugged, and said, "Thanks," and he grabbed all 8 swords and walked in.

Zack watched through the window in the door as he watched Cloud fight with the swords. He raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, he's pretty good with those," remarked Zack to himself as Cloud expertly combined the swords one by one to bring down a huge stone pillar and steel beams.

Cloud stood up, looked around, and noticed the mess he made. Scratching his head, he looked back at Zack with a "is that allowed?" look on his face.

"Don't worry about it, Shinra will fix it," said Zack.

Cloud nodded, and walked back inside. "So, how'd I do?" asked Cloud. "I think I did a pretty good job."

"You did," agreed Zack, nodding eagerly. "You did pretty good with those two-handed swords. I've never seen anyone actually try to combine them before. How did you know to combine them?"

"…" Cloud answered, looking down.

"What?" asked Zack. "What's wrong?"

"I…have no idea," answered Cloud slowly, not looking up. "I…just knew somehow…"

"Just knew somehow?" repeated Zack. "What do you mean?"

"You told me to pick a weapon that 'called to me'… so that's what I did…And when I took the weapons, I suddenly had a feeling that I've seen this weapon before…Is that normal?" asked Cloud anxiously, looking up at Zack with worried-looking blue eyes.

Zack didn't answer right away; he was thinking about what Cloud said. _He knew somehow…there was only one person who knew that the swords were supposed to be combined to make them more useful and powerful, and he's using a long katana now…_ "No, it's not unusual," said Zack with his characteristic smile. "No, it's no worry at all. Come on, now that you have your weapon, let's go."

Cloud nodded, and, sheathing the swords together onto his back, followed Zack to the training room. "Well, who trains us?" asked Cloud.

"Sephiroth does usually, but today it's someone else," answered Zack, looking over peoples shoulders to the front. "Yeah, it's that other guy. Bruce, the other strongest SOLDEIR next to Sephiroth. He's nowhere near as strong, but he's good."

"Oh," said Cloud. "Uh, how does only one person train us if we're supposed to be good with one specific weapon?"

"Bruce, Sephiroth, and 2 other SOLDIERs are specially trained for this sort of thing," said Zack carefully. _I probably shouldn't tell him this…but they were programmed to know everything about everything…_ "Well, let's begin," said Zack cheerfully, taking out his own weapon, which was a huge long blade

Cloud nodded, taking out his own weapon.

"All right, you sissy SOLDIERs!" barked Bruce as he walked between everyone. "Some of you all are new here, so you probably have no idea how things are run around here! This isn't an elementary school playground anymore! This is the real world! This is SOLDIER! If you think you can't handle it, then you can leave! Show no mercy to your opponent, for you'll receive none!"

_This guys a little crazy,_ Cloud couldn't help think to himself.

"Let me see how tough you are!" finished Bruce, going to the front of the room and facing everyone. "Choose a partner and spar with him! Don't be afraid to leave a mark or two, it proves that you're a man!"

Cloud turned hopefully to Zack, who nodded silently in agreement.

"OKAY! FIGHT NOW!" yelled Bruce

**A few hours later…**

Cloud fell onto his bum, catching his breath. "Phew… that was hard," he panted.

"Hard?" repeated Zack, holding out a hand to pull Cloud up. "That was just the first day of training!"

"Boo-hoo," muttered Cloud as he took Zack's hand and was pulled up. "I'm exhausted…" he sighed.

"Yes, that usually happens," said Zack with a smirk. "Come on, I have snacks in my room. Let's go!"

"Sure," said Cloud, following Zack up to his room as other SOLDIERs shuffled out of the huge training hall to spend the next 3 ½ hours resting up.

"You'll be so surprised!" said Zack. "Though I should warn you, an opportunity like this comes not often."

"What opportunity?" asked Cloud curiously as they entered Zack's room.

"I took the liberty of pulling some strings and bribing a few people to set up a meeting between you and Sephiroth!"

Cloud stopped. "What?" he asked. "Wha-- A meeting!"

"Yes!" said Zack, sitting down. "I thought it'd be a good idea."

"But--But I…Sephiroth…a meeting…"

"Sit down, sit down, I'll tell you everything you need to know about Sephiroth, you have to meet him tomorrow at 7:30 AM sharp! So listen," said Zack, gesturing the seat across from him.

Cloud hesitated, then sat down. "You gonna tell me why? I don't want a meeting with Sephiroth," muttered Cloud, staring at the table.

"Many reasons," said Zack delicately, "but I'll tell you later, the rules for meeting Sephiroth are much more important now. Okay, first rule, when you enter the same room Sephiroth is, keep absolute silence! Don't make any noises, okay? Don't speak unless spoken to, don't breath loudly, and especially don't sneeze, Sephiroth doesn't like being surprised. I remember this one time a SOLDIER sneezed when meeting Sephiroth… I heard it wasn't a pleasant healing experience."

"Okay…no noises, don't talk unless talked to, don't breath loudly, and don't sneeze," mumbled Cloud, writing it on the back of his arm.

Zack stared, and asked, "What are you doing?"

Cloud looked up. "Uh… notes. In case I forgot something. Sephiroth can't read this, right?"

"He sure can!" said Zack. "Fifty-eight languages!" said Zack, holding up 5 fingers and then 8 fingers. "Anyway, when talking to Sephiroth, don't look up at him, he dislikes people staring at him. If he asks you a question, don't give him a lengthy answer, nor should you give him a short answer. Maybe about a sentence or two, that's the standard."

Cloud nodded wordlessly, writing it down on his arm.

"When you talk to Sephiroth, make sure to keep your voice level, and don't make it to quiet or too loud, Sephiroth has to be able to hear you without going deaf."

"Right," said Cloud, writing that down too.

"And when he waits for you to say something, don't _ever_ comment on the weather! He _hates_ questions like that! Don't ever ask him things like 'how's your momma', or 'who's ya daddy', or 'will you train with me' or 'are you good with weapons?'…questions like those are instant death."

"Okay…"

"And never mention 'Jenova'."

"Jenova?" repeated Cloud, moving to his other arm now.

"Yeah… I'm not too sure what Jenova is, but from what I can tell, we all have a bit of her in us… a Jenova cell. All SOLDIERs have had a Jenova cell placed in them…"

"I don't think I have a Jenova cell," said Cloud, looking up. "I've never heard of Jenova."

"Oh, if you don't have that cell, they'll be sure to give it to you later…" Zack stopped. "Wait, I don't have a Jenova cell either…"

"Is that bad?" asked Cloud.

"It must be bad," sighed Zack. "…WAAAAAAAHHHHH!' bawled Zack suddenly. "It's not fair!"

Cloud jumped. "Oh! Zack, are you okay?"

Zack out his hands in his face, anime tears flowing from his eyes. "Waaaaaahhhh! I'm not loved! I'm imperfect!"

Cloud stood up hurriedly and walked over to Zack. "Hey, Zack?" asked Cloud uncertainly. "How are you imperfect? I thought we all were the same around here…"

"No, everyone has at least one flaw, and we're all different!" howled Zack loudly from behind his hands.

"But I see no reason why you should call yourself imperfect," said Cloud in a friendly way. "I mean, nobody around here is perfect, no one is."

"Sephiroth is perfect!" whined Zack, giving Cloud a watery green-eyed look. "Everything he does is perfect, from the way he fights with a long katana to his hair from the way he speaks to the way he eats! I can never be that perfect!"

"Uh…" started Cloud, at a loss of what to say next.

"And I'll bet you'll be perfect too, in another year or so!" whined Zack, putting his face back into his hands. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" cried Zack into his own hands.

Feeling guilty for no reason, Cloud patted Zack's back/ "Daijoubu," he said kindly.

"Wha?" asked Zack, looking up at Cloud teary-eyed.

"Daijoubu," repeated Cloud smiling.

Zack stared for a few seconds, then bawled again into his own hands. "SEE, I AM IMPERFECT! I SHOULD KNOW WHAT 'DAIJOUBU' MEANS!"

"…! Uh.. Maybe we should change the subject and move back onto Sephiroth…"

Zack recovered in a jiffy. "You're absolutely right!" Zack cracked his knuckles, his face completely dry and tear free. "Sit back down, Cloud," said Zack.

Cloud blinked, and did as he was told.

"Where was I?" asked Zack.

"Jenova," answered Cloud carefully in case Zack started again.

"Right, don't mention 'Jenova' around Sephiroth. And don't ask him if he knows the sachoo personally, don't ask him if he likes his long katana, and don't comment on his hair or eyes. Don't comment on him at all, okay?"

Cloud continued to write note on the back of his other arm, nodding. "Got it," he said.

"And finally, if he asks you to spar with him, try politely to refuse the request. When Sephiroth is asking for a fight, it means he's in a killing mood. So be careful, okay?"

Cloud nodded, writing those notes down. "Zack," started Cloud, "why are there so many rules for talking to Sephiroth?"

"Oh, because he's the best of the best of the best," answered Zack with a shrug. "He thinks himself the best, and he _knows_ he's the best. So he doesn't like being questioned or cheeked."

Cloud made an additional note on his arm. "Okay."

"Understand?" asked Zack.

"Yes, I think I do," answered Cloud, rereading his notes.

"I think Sephiroth will notice those notes," remarked Zack.

"Oh no, I'll remember these," said Cloud, "and then I'll wash them off tomorrow when I remember."

"Okay, if you say so," said Zack, standing up and heading for a cupboard. "What kind of snacks do you like?" asked Zack over his shoulder.

"Uh… whatever you have is fine by me," said Cloud.

"Good," answered Zack, pulling out some saltines. "I'm not in a junk food mood today," said Zack gloomily.

Cloud stared at the saltines. "You have these here?" he asked.

"Yeah, but they're not good fro SOLDIERs… But they're good!" said Zack cheerfully, opening the packet of saltines and placing it on the middle. "Eat up, Cloud!"

"How are they not god for SOLDIERs?" asked Cloud, taking a saltine.

"Cause the salt gets into your bloodstream and it kinda stings for a little bit." Zack chewed and munched on a handful of saltines, and shuddered. "Ouchie," he said as he swallowed. "It takes some getting used to, but it's worth it!"

Cloud stared, and ate the saltine. "I don't feel anything," he informed Zack.

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOUR PERFECT!' wailed Zack suddenly, flopping himself onto the table, sobbing hysterically.

"! Oh, Zack, I'm sorry!" exclaimed Cloud, standing up hurriedly to go comfort Zack.

"I want to be perfect!" wailed Zack. "Why am I not perfect!"

"I think your perfect," said Cloud, patting Zack on the back. "Really!"

"…you think I'm perfect?" asked Zack with a hiccup.

"Of course," answered Cloud.

"…Okay!" said Zack cheerfully, his face completely dry and tear-free. "Well, now that you know the rules for talking to Sephiroth, what do you want to do now?"

"Uh… I don't know," said Cloud, sitting back down.

"Well, I have an idea! Let's go outside! I hear that you can see cute little Chocobos running around outside of Shinra!"

"Chocobos?" repeated Cloud.

"You never heard of a Chocobo?" asked Zack.

"No… not really."

"Well, come with me! Chocobos are sooo cute! Especially when their little chickes!" Zack grabbed cloud by the arm and took him outside. "Come on!"

"Aah! Not so fast, Zack!"

**Meanwhile, in sachoo's office…**

"What the hell is this?" asked the sachoo to himself, reading the repairs bill he got. "1,500,000 gil on repairs! What did they do, test weapons in there!" He sighed disgustedly to himself, putting the bill in an envelope. "When I find out who keeps putting that stupid sign there…" the sachoo sighed as he walked out of his office to deliver the bill.

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**Yep, end chapter two. Whee! I'm enjoying writing this fanfic! I hope you are too! Keep tuned for chapter three!**


	4. Chapter 4

-1**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…

**A/N: **I be bored too…. At least this fanfic give me something exciting to do. WHEEE! ahem Let's begin.

**Chapter Three: The Finishing Move of Doom!**

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Cloud was sleeping in his room when Zack came in at about 6:58 AM. "Cloud?" asked Zack, coming closer. "Cloud?"

Cloud groaned, and rolled over. "Turn that light off…"

"That light would be the sun coming in through the window. I'll close the curtain if you like."

"Do that…and get out of my room…"

Zack was about to close the curtain, but stopped. "Wait, I'm supposed to wake you up!" Zack opened the curtain even wider, and strode over to Cloud's bed. "Cloud! If you don't wake up when it'd 7:00, I'll get a cold bucket of water and pour it on you!"

"No!" said Cloud, putting a pillow over his head.

Zack threw the covers off. "Come on, rise and shine, spikey!"

"Spikey?" asked Cloud, reaching for the blanket even though it wasn't there.

"Yeah, after that cute Chocobo yesterday! Remember, the one with those huge blue eyes that were exactly like yours?"

"You mean the Chocobo with the chicken legs that chased me and pecked my face?"

"That same one!" said Zack cheerfully, folding the blanket and tossing it in a corner. "It's gonna be your code name too!"

"Wouldn't that be kinda obvious?" asked Cloud, glaring at Zack with one eye. "As far as I can tell, I'm the only SOLDIER with spikey hair."

"There are a few others," said Zack taking the pillow away from Cloud.

"No…" whined Cloud, placing his face onto the bed.

Zack tossed the pillow into the corner too and dusted his hands off. "Come on, Cloud, you have a meeting with Sephiroth at 7:30 sharp this morning!"

The word "Sephiroth" must have jolted Cloud awake, he shot up, and yawned. "Oh… That's right, I asked you to wake me up at 7:00..."

"So here I am!" agreed Zack. "Glad you're awake!"

"What's to eat?" asked Cloud groggily, wiping his eyes.

"Uh, nothing, they don't serve breakfast this early on a Saturday."

"What?"

"But I brought you something!" said Zack cheerfully, bringing out a small chocolate bar. "Here, eat up!"

"Ooh!" said Cloud excitedly. "Where did you get this?"

"You're backpack," answered Zack with a gesture to an upside-down backpack on the ground.

"Aah! What did you do to it! Why is everything dumped out?"

"I smelt chocolate so I decided to go find it. We're not allowed to have snacks."

"We're not? But, all those snacks in your room…?"

"I… have special privileges," said Zack carefully, tossing to Cloud the chocolate bar.

Cloud caught it and sighed. "Whatever you say," he said, opening the chocolate bar.

"Oh, by the way, I got some info on Sephiroth you'll find useful!" said Zack. "Here, read this!"

Zack held out a paper with a picture of Sephiroth on it. Cloud took it and read it one-handed.

**_Sephiroth:   
The One-Winged angel who needs little introduction. He wields the legendary blade Masamune, a katana so long that it is rumored that only he could wield it. _**

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "One winged angel?" he asked.

"I bet it's a fake!" said Zack. "I mean, no one's ever seen Sephiroth's wing…"

"And his sword is called Masamune? That's a nice name…"

"Hmm-hmm," agreed Zack, nodding.

Cloud polished off the rest of the chocolate bar, and put the paper down on the table. "Where'd you get that footage, anyway?" asked Cloud, pointing at the picture of Sephiroth.

"Oh…uh, got it from the private folders of the sachoo," answered Zack with a carefree wave of his arm. "I'm a good hacker."

"Okay…" Cloud stood up off the bed, and looked out the window. "…"

"What?" asked Zack.

"Well… I guess I'd better get going," Cloud said, and he walked out of the room.

"Don't worry!" called Zack. "You'll be fine!" Cloud muttered something indistinct and disappeared down the stairs. Zack glanced at his laptop. "…you'll be just fine."

**With Cloud…**

Cloud walked down the stairs as quickly as he could, but it was still a long way to go. By the time he got to the door to Sephiroth's room, it was 7:26 AM. _I hope he doesn't mind that I'm slightly early, _thought Cloud as he opened the door. He was surprised to see that two potted trees stood on either side of the doorway. A pair of leather boots sat beside the small set of stairs leading up to a small living room. The living room looked comfy enough, with a small sofa and a recliner, a table in the center of the room, and a rug leading to a balcony, where Sephiroth was standing now.

_Wow,_ Cloud thought in awe. _This certainly is a comfy room… I wouldn't mind living here…_ Cloud looked down at the leather boots, and saw a pair of light blue fluffy slippers with "For Visitors" labeled over it. _I suppose I'm supposed to wear those…_ Cloud took his own boots off, and slipped on the fluffy light blue slippers. _I'll just take a seat and wait for him to talk,_ decided Cloud, heading for the sofa. "AH-CHOO!" yelled Cloud suddenly.

Sephiroth jumped and reacted almost immediately; he unsheathed his katana and charged at Cloud, stabbing the shoulder blade, pinning Cloud to the wall. "Are you suicidal!" hissed Sephiroth, glaring down at this visitor.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" stammered Cloud. "I didn't mean to surprise you!"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Ah… it's you." Sephiroth unstuck his Masamune from the wall.

"That--That was brilliant aim," said Cloud, indicating the fact that the katana missed Cloud by an inch.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" he asked, sheathing the Masamune. "I missed." He turned around and sat down on the sofa.

Cloud stood stunned for a second, and hurried to sit down, looking down at his own hands anxiously. _Oh, my… he's still a bit scary…_

Sephiroth leaned back casually in his chair. "So," he started, "who are you?"

"…my name is Cloud Strife," said Cloud to his hands.

"Cloud Strife?" repeated Sephiroth. He eyed Cloud. "You don't look like the usual build for a SOLDIER… You sure you came to the right place?"

"I--I came here to become stronger," said Cloud. "I--I promised a friend of mine that I'd become stronger…"

"A girl friend or a boy friend?" asked Sephiroth.

"A--A girl, her name's Tifa…she's a good friend of mine…"

"Tifa…" repeated Sephiroth. "She's a good friend?"

"Yes, the best…"

There was a small silence between the two of them.

"What's the matter?" asked Sephiroth. "Moogle got your tongue?"

Cloud didn't answer.

Sephiroth sighed, stood up, and strode over to Cloud, standing in front of him. "What's wrong, why won't you look up at me?" asked Sephiroth, taking Cloud's face by his hand and making Cloud look up at him.

Thought Cloud as he looked up at Sephiroth's green eyes. _He--he just…!_

Sephiroth released Cloud and paced back a few feet. "I want you to talk to me now, and do make sure to look at me in the eyes when you talk."

Cloud continued to stare in shock at Sephiroth. _He--he wants _me_ to talk…! What--What should I say?_

"Well?" asked Sephiroth.

"Uh… the weathers beautiful today--" Cloud cut himself off. _Oh, no, the weather… I _commented_ on the weather…!_

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

"Uh… You--You any good with that Masamune?" asked Cloud before he could stop himself. _Oh, no, I wasn't supposed to ask about his weapon either…!_

"My Masamune?" asked Sephiroth. "You want to find out? I could challenge you to a fight right now if you like."

"Uh---no--no, no thank you!" stammered Cloud.

"Why not?" asked Sephiroth. "I insist, I love challenging newbies to fights. Come on, I promise to go easy on you," said Sephiroth with something like a teasing gleam in his eyes.

Cloud hesitated. _Zack said he only challenges people when he's feeling particularly murderous… But, I can't decline now… I'll just do my best… _"O-Okay, Sephiroth, I'll fight you…"

"That's the spirit!" said Sephiroth happily, turning around and heading for the door. "Come on, I'll wait for you at the fighting hall." Sephiroth took off his own slippers (fuzzy silver ones) and changed into his leather ones. "Hurry up." Sephiroth took off towards the dueling hall.

Cloud sat there for a few seconds. _Why--Why do I feel so flustered…!_ thought Cloud to himself, putting a hand on his face and shaking his head. _It--It meant nothing…! I have to go now!_ Cloud stood up, took the fuzzy light blue slippers off, put his boots back on, and hurried out the door.

A few minutes later, Cloud made it to the dueling room. "Ah, so you're here! I thought you wouldn't show!" Sephiroth looked pleased. "That's good! Let's fight now!"

**Up with Zack…**

Zack, who went back to his own room, was watching the progress Cloud was making. "…!" said Zack suddenly, sitting up. "What's this…! Sephiroth challenged Cloud to a fight… and… he…_accepted…_!"

"What's wrong?" asked another SOLDIER who was with Zack in the room, along with the other SOLDIER. "Cloud's gonna fight Sephiroth, so what?"

"So what!" repeated Zack. "Sephiroth is gonna maul Cloud!"

"Really?" asked the other SOLDIER. Both he and his companion crowded over Zack's shoulder. "Sweet, watch this battle!"

_This is bad…!_ thought Zack. He narrowed his eyes. _But my orders are direct… Sachoo wants me to see if it works…So…_ Zack clicked up the "programs" file, and went to Cloud's programming. _Sorry, buddy, but it has to be done!_

"Ooh, what program are you gonna use?" asked one SOLDIER.

"I'm going to use… the… BESERK!" yelled Zack, typing in huge font "berserk" on Cloud's programming three times in a row.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud flew through the air and hit the wall and landed with a thud on the ground. "Ouchie…" he gasped, sitting up.

"What, is that all you got?" asked Sephiroth. "You're pathetic!"

Cloud stood up shakily, and was about to drop his sword in defeat when suddenly… Cloud glared up at Sephiroth with a dark-green evil-ish glare.

_"…_" went Sephiroth, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Cloud held his sword up, and jumped high into the air, waving his sword around a few times.

Sephiroth looked up at Cloud suspiciously.

**With Zack…**

"Zack!" exclaimed one SOLDIER. "That program hasn't been tested yet!"

"What?" asked Zack. "But, I thought… Sachoo said…! Oh, no!" Zack glanced back at the visual. "What'll happen now!"

"No idea, but Cloud looks ready to kill…" said the other SOLDIER quietly. "Look at Cloud's eyes!"

"They're evil looking," agreed the other SOLDIER.

"Oh, my god!" exclaimed Zack, running a hand through his hair. "I've made Cloud possessed! I have to undo this before anything serious happens…!"

"Too late," said the other SOLDIER, pointing to the screen.

**With Cloud…**

Sephiroth looked up at Cloud. _What is he doing…?_

He didn't need to wait long for the answer; Cloud suddenly charged down at Sephiroth, catching the silver-haired SOLDIER off guard. Sephiroth hit the wall, and recovered quickly but Cloud was faster. Cloud attacked hard and fast at Sephiroth, Sephiroth quickly defending himself.

_What happened…! When did this strength appear…!_ thought Sephiroth with gritted teeth. Cloud was suddenly very powerful.

Cloud's eyes still had that evil green look in them; it was as if he was possessed.

Sephiroth dodged a sharp blow from Cloud and jumped high in the air to dodge the other attack, but this evidently was a bad idea…

**With Zack…**

Zack was typing frantically, trying to undo the program as the other two SOLDIERs watched the battle eagerly. "Wow, look, Sephiroth is on the defensive! I've never seen him do that before!"

"Cloud's like a fighting machine!" exclaimed the other SOLDIER.

"Guys, this isn't helping at all!" cried Zack as he continued to type frantically to undo the program.

"Oh, wow! Zack watch this! Cloud's doing something new!"

Zack stopped typing for a second, and curiously checked the progress of the fight. "Oh…!" exclaimed Zack, seeing what Cloud was about to do.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud, noticing Sephiroth jumping into the air, jumped after him, waving the sword one final time. Seven of the eight swords jumped from Cloud's blade; the eighth one stayed in his hand.

Sephiroth tried to move, but the seven swords kept him suspended in the air. He stared at Cloud in surprise. _He's…strong…!_

Cloud took the first sword and slashed it through Sephiroth, then grabbed the second sword and slashed through him again; he did the same with blades three through five; on the sixth blade, he cut across Sephiroth; he seventh blade struck Sephiroth from behind; and finally, the final blade, combined with the other seven blades, came down hard on Sephiroth. Cloud landed perfectly with seven of the blades surrounding him, catching the eighth blade smoothly as Sephiroth fell into a heap behind him, brutally defeated…

**With Zack…**

"Did you see that!" yelled one SOLDIER. "Look at that Cloud move!"

Zack let out a huffy sigh. "This isn't doing us any good…!" Zack stood up hurriedly and took off downstairs with his laptop.

"Hey, Zack, wait!" called one SOLDIER. "It was just getting good!"

"No--I have to stop Cloud before he kills Sephiroth!" called Zack over his shoulder, leaping down the stairs three at a time. _I have to get to Cloud right away…! Before he does anything serious!_

Zack bolted into the dueling room, seeing Cloud about to turn to the fallen Sephiroth. "Cloud!" yelled Zack.

Cloud stopped, turning his head slightly to give Zack a sideways glance.

"Cloud! Stop what you're doing! Thank about it!" Zack slowly walked towards Cloud. _The program I wrote should calm him own in a little bit…_

Cloud narrowed his eyes, and turned to Sephiroth, sword at the ready.

"No, Cloud," said Zack. "Leave him be, Sephiroth is down… He can't fight no more. Come on now, come to your senses…"

Cloud stopped for a second.

"That's right," said Zack. "You calm now?"

Cloud, however, showed no signs of calming down. He readied himself to charge at Sephiroth again…

"No, Cloud!" yelled Zack, taking out his own blade, jumping in front of Sephiroth. "Please calm down! Cloud, he's no harm to you now!"

Cloud growled, pushing down on Zack's blade.

"Cloud," said Zack urgently. "It's me! It's Zack! You don't want to attack your best friend, would you?"

Cloud stopped again, confusion in the dark green eyes.

"Yes, Cloud," said Zack more gently. "It's all right, there's no more danger."

Cloud gasped out loud, dropping his sword, his eyes returning to blue again. He looked around in fright. "Za-Zack…?" he asked. "Wha--What happened? Where am I?"

Zack sighed with relief, sheathing his own sword. "You…you lost control of yourself. You beat Sephiroth up pretty badly…"

Cloud stared in horror at Sephiroth's collapsed form. "Oh, no…! Did I kill him!" asked Cloud frantically, his blue eyes ablaze with fear.

"No, he's not dead," answered Zack calmly. "It'll take more then that to kill a SOLDIER."

"But--he's on the ground, unconscious! His blood is on the wall…!" cried Cloud faintly. "And… and _I_ did all this…!"

"Blood..?" Zack glanced at the blood on the wall, then shook himself. _Be strong, man, Cloud needs you! _"Sephiroth will be fine, once we get him to the infirmary, which is what you need, too," remarked Zack, as Cloud was nearly as beaten up as Sephiroth.

Cloud was only half-listening. "Sephiroth will be angry…!" he said to himself, shaking with fear slightly. "I defeated him in battle… I practically murdered him…!"

"Cloud?" asked Zack as he ordered some SOLDIERs to bring Sephiroth to the infirmary.

"I don't remember… I blacked out… Zack, what happened to me?" asked Cloud, looking up at Zack with fearful eyes.

"…Cloud…I…" started Zack, but he didn't finish, as Cloud collapsed right into Zack's arms. He blinked, and held Cloud steady. "Yep, bed rest for you definitely," he said cheerfully. Zack picked Cloud up and hurried him to his room. _Right now, it'd be best to make sure Cloud doesn't wake up in the same room as Sephiroth… He can stay in his own room, I'll watch him…_

Zack placed Cloud into his bed, put a pillow under his head, and covered Cloud with a blanket. "I'll see to those wounds," said Zack to himself. "Don't worry, you'll be all right in a jiffy."

Cloud stirred slightly, and rolled onto his side, his expression fretful.

Zack saddened slightly, sitting at the edge of the bed. _Am I really a friend…? _Zack asked himself. _Forcing untested programs on him like that…? Cloud seemed very easy to program according to sachoo, but… For Cloud to be able to defeat Sephiroth… _Zack looked out the window. _Whatever your plans for Cloud are, sachoo… I wish you'd spit them out instead of testing Cloud like this…_

As Zack looked out the window, he could see the sachoo's office from right here. And the sachoo was looking directly back at Zack. _Oh, my god…_

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**Whee! How do you like it so far? Intense, no? I tried to make it a bit dramatic at this point, though I think I overdid it… --; oh, well, melodrama is my thing. See you later! And thanks for the reviews, you two! Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **She corrected the prologue, if anyone cares.

**A/N: **Well, I do! I don't like making mistakes! …uh, yeah. Here's the next installment of my story. Glad you're enjoying it so far!

**Chapter Four: Secret Plans, E-Mail Addresses, and the Steak Incident**

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"So, the 'berserk' option filled Cloud with immense strength?" asked sachoo.

Zack nodded. "Yes, it sure did. Not even Sephiroth saw it coming. I think this program is a bit dangerous, it nearly caused Cloud to try to kill Sephiroth."

"It doesn't matter," said sachoo. "If it enabled _him_ to defeat Sephiroth, then it is a very useful program. It just has to be perfected."

"Perfected?" repeated Zack.

"Yes… Keep regular tests on it. Keep testing it on Cloud, okay? Make sure he knows how to control the 'berserk' program, and try not to overdo it."

"You want this to be a regular program one day?" asked Zack. "Why? I don't see any incident in the future when we'd need a program like this…"

"Oh, just in case. You never know when something or someone arises to challenge those in power."

"Who'd want to challenge Shinra?"

"No-one, of course. But you can't assume that. That's what being the sachoo is about. Planning ahead."

"…okay…" said Zack.

"You have your orders." Sachoo waved a hand. "You're dismissed."

Zack nodded and backed out of the room.

**Meanwhile, over with Sephiroth…**

Sephiroth stood on his balcony, looking over the Shinra Electric Company. He sighed bitterly to himself. "What _was_ that strength that attacked me earlier today…? That Cloud, I didn't know that he would be so…" He looked down at the rest of Shinra, and saw Zack leaving the sachoo's office. "Hmm…Sachoo rarely sees anyone…Why would he want to see the lead programmer…?"

Sephiroth watched as Zack stowed away his laptop and trudged down the stairs, and into the dorm building.

"Whatever Zack had to do with this… I'll want to find out," said Sephiroth to himself, and turned around and headed back inside his room.

**With Zack…**

Zack walked to Cloud's room slowly, lost in thought. _He wants me to continue testing the "berserk" program on Cloud… But, why Cloud? Why is he using the complete newbie as a guinea pig? _Zack stopped, and glanced up at Sephiroth's room. _…is it because Cloud, somehow, shares one of Jenova's cells, even though he's not from SOLDIER…? _Zack sighed, and carried on to Cloud's room. "Hey, Cloud, are you awake?" asked Zack as he opened Cloud's door.

Cloud was awake; he was sitting up on his bed, looking down at the floor. "I'm awake," he said quietly. "I feel so tired, though…"

"I suppose that's natural, for you to defeat Sephiroth," mused Zack, sitting down next to Cloud. "You have no recollection of the event?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, I don't… All I remember is being flung across the room and hitting the wall…then I saw Sephiroth, then I blacked out. When I came to, I…Sephiroth was on the ground, defeated, and I heard your voice."

"My voice?" repeated Zack.

"…yes… I heard it, and sort of woke up… What happened?"

"You went completely berserk," said Zack truthfully. _At least that's part of the truth…_ thought Zack to himself. "You attacked Sephiroth relentlessly; even he was surprised!"

"Sephiroth's not angry, is he?" asked Cloud anxiously, looking up at Zack in worry.

"Well, he's not exactly pleased…" said Zack slowly. "He's never been defeated before, nonetheless by a newbie. I'm pretty sure he'll do what he can to try and remove this black mark."

Cloud sighed sadly, looking down at the bed. "I'm sorry…" he uttered. "I--I should try to show more control over myself…"

"Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault," said Zack consolingly, patting Cloud on the back. "You did pretty good for a new kid! Really! You should concentrate on your first victory, that you accomplished something. All the SOLDIERs here can only _dream_ of even challenging Sephiroth."

"Hasn't Sephiroth fought others?" asked Cloud curiously.

"Nah, everyone's too afraid to."

"Then how can he be sure he's the best?" asked Cloud thoughtfully. "I mean, if no one's fought Sephiroth before now, then how will we know if Sephiroth is indeed the strongest and the best? For all we know, there could be someone better out there then him."

"Like you?" asked Zack.

Cloud paused, then shook his head. "No, I--I have no strength, I'm nobody here… I'm only si--nineteen."

"Nineteen is an okay age."

"But you said that it's like a kid around here."

"It is, but it's still an okay age." _Even though your profile says you're 16..._ thought Zack. _Are you lying, or was there a mistake on your profile? _"Well, enough of that, I got a surprise for you!" said Zack cheerfully, hopping of the bed.

"Eh? A surprise?" repeated Cloud, looking at Zack curiously.

"Yep! Here, I left it in your shelf, hold on." Zack strode over to Cloud's shelf, and pulled out a laptop. "Here, you get a laptop all your own!" Zack shoved the laptop into Cloud's arm happily. "See, aren't I a good friend?"

"You got me a laptop?" asked Cloud in amazement. "But, why?"

"Oh, I wanted to get you something. Also, I felt that you were a little lonely, without any other friends here, so maybe you could e-mail your friend!"

Cloud blushed slightly. "You--Did I tell you about Tifa?"

"Tifa? Is that her? Yeah, you mentioned her once." Zack checked Cloud's expression. "What's wrong? Why are you red?"

"Huh…! No-nothing!" said Cloud. "She--She's just a friend!"

"Just a friend?" repeated Zack. "Then why are you acting so flustered?"

"…I'm--I'm not flustered," said Cloud shaking his head. "Really, Tifa and I are hest friends."

"Hmm…" said Zack suspiciously. "If you say so."

"That's right," said Cloud, his cheeks still slightly flushed as he opened the laptop. "I could e-mail Tifa, but I have no e-mail address. How do I get one?"

"Oh, it's easy, here, I'll guide you through it!" Zack sat down next to Cloud and walked him through the e-mail creation process. "You know we're not supposed to have girlfriends," said Zack suddenly, catching Cloud unawares.

"She--no, Tifa's not a girlfriend!" stammered Cloud, his face red slightly. "She's just a friend who happens to be a girl!" he said quickly.

"Mm-hmm," said Zack. "Okay. Sorry, just wanted to make sure you weren't breaking any rules. Cause I have a girlfriend!" said Zack proudly.

"You do?" asked Cloud. "But--"

"Not a word to anyone, right?" asked Zack with a wink. "I'll tell you about her. But first, let's e-mail your friend Tifa!"

"Sure," agreed Cloud, "you want to e-mail her to?"

"Let's do it together, yeah!" said Zack.

Cloud bent over the laptop and typed up:

**_To: Tifa, it's me, Cloud! My friend Zack helped me get my own e-mail account, so now I'm e-mailing you! Isn't this cool? I have a whole bunch to tell you about! _**

_**My friend Zack, he's a cool guy. He's supposed to be my trainer person, but now we're good friends! He kinda reminds me of you sometimes. It's really great, being a new kid and having a friend like Zack. He seems to now the ropes of Shinra, so I'll be fine.**_

_**Also… I had a fight with the SOLDIER best-of-the-best named Sephiroth. I defeated him, though I have no memory of how. Zack said that I had gone berserk and relentlessly attacked him…I wonder how I could forget something like that…?**_

_**Ah! I'm out of time, it's almost dinnertime! I'll e-mail you again! Bye, Tifa! Cloud Strife**_

Cloud finished typing his name, and hit the "send" button. "How quickly does e-mail work?" asked Cloud as he signed out.

"It works pretty fast," said Zack, standing up. "It surely is a whole lot faster the snail mail. Let's go, I hear we're gonna have yummy things for dinner tonight!"

Cloud nodded eagerly, disconnecting from the internet and turning the laptop off, hurrying after his friend to the cafeteria. "What yummy things are we having tonight?" asked Cloud.

"Steak! And mashed potatoes! With gravy!" said Zack happily. "It's a treat! I love Saturdays the best!"

"Steak?" repeated Cloud. "Yum! I didn't know they had steak here!"

"Cloud, we're Shinra! We get everything! Come on, let's grab a table!" Zack took Cloud's hand and led him to a table where the two SOLDIERs that were Zack's friends were sitting. "Hey, guys! How you is?"

"Hey Zack!" said one SOLDIER.

"We're good!" said the other SOLDIER. He noticed cloud. "Hey, isn't that the kid you--"

"Yes, this is the guy I told you about," said Zack, giving the SOLDIER a warning glance. "Cloud, these are my friends."

"Hi," said Cloud shyly, looking down at the table.

"Hi," agreed the other SOLDIER.

"So you're Cloud?" asked the first SOLDIER. "I heard you kicked Sephiroth's ass! Is that true?"

Cloud glanced at Zack, who nodded slightly, and said, "Yes, Cloud defeated Sephiroth earlier this morning… But I'm sure it was just beginners luck!" said Zack loudly with a laugh. "Right, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded, staring at the table.

"Doesn't he ever talk?" asked one SOLDIER.

"He does when he's in the mood to talk," said Zack, slapping Cloud's shoulder playfully. "Usually he's silent as the grave, though."

"So, Cloud, were you from?" asked one SOLDIER.

"Yeah, you never told us, and it doesn't say on your profile," said the other SOLDIER.

"Uh…I'm from Nibelheim…" muttered Cloud, not looking up. "That's somewhere close to Midgar…"

"You're so quiet," said one SOLDIER.

"That's just his personality, don't worry about it," said Zack.

"But you'd think you'd have fixed that up by now!" exclaimed the other SOLDIER. "I mean, you're the--"

"Ah, steak's ready!" said Zack, cutting across the SOLDIER. "Let's go get some food! I want mashed potatoes too!" Zack took Cloud's arm again and hurried him to the serving table, the two SOLDIERs behind him.

A whole crowd of SOLDIERs surrounded the serving table, but there seemed to be a problem. The steak was sure ready, but it was huge, and uncut. It sat there on the table as a huge pillar of meat.

"AH-HAH! I GOT IT!" yelled a voice from behind them all. Cloud, who happened to be closest to the steak at the time, looked back, and let out a surprised yell as Sephiroth charged full speed towards him, his Masamune at the ready. "HIIIIII-YAAAAAAAA!" yelled Sephiroth, slicing the steak cleanly in two. "Yes, steak is served! Sephiroth has spoken!"

All the SOLDIERs chattered excitedly as they each took their own steak while Cloud sobbed hysterically on Zack. "Scary! So scary, Zack! I thought he was going to slice me in two!"

"There, there, it's all right," said Zack with a nervous smile as he patted Cloud on the back.

Sephiroth looked back with a self-satisfied smirk, and walked off with a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy with steak.

"Wuuuuh!" cried Cloud some more as Zack lead him towards the serving table.

"Will Cloudy-woud feel better if Zacky-wacky gets Cloud some steak, mashed potatoes and gravy too?"

Cloud nodded.

"Okay, go wait at the table, I'll bring you some," promised Zack, picking two plates up. "I'll meet you there."

Cloud scampered off to the table, and sat down with a resigned sigh. _That really _was_ scary, _thought Cloud bitterly, drying the last of his tears away. _What was Sephy thinking, cutting the steak like that!_ Cloud stopped. _Wait, did I just call him "Sephy"…!_

"Here ya go, Cloud!" said Zack cheerfully, placing a plate full of steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy on the table in front of him. "Enjoy!"

Cloud nodded. _Sephy seems an okay name for Sephiroth…_ thought Cloud stubbornly to himself as he chewed on the steak. _I mean, 'Sephiroth' is a long name…Yeah, I'll call him Sephy…_

"Steaks good tonight!" said one SOLDIER.

"True that!" agreed the other SOLDIER. "I love Saturdays the best! They always save the best meals for Saturday!"

"That's because Saturday is the best day of the week!" said Zack.

"WHEE! SATURDAY!" cheered the three SOLDIERs as Cloud ate on in silence.

_I wonder what hey have so much to talk about?_ thought Cloud. _Well, no matter… I have nothing to say, and anyway, someone has to listen to all that talk…_ Cloud looked over to where Sephiroth was sitting, alone.

Sephiroth glanced at Cloud, narrowed his eyes, and flashed him the finger.

Cloud gasped. _Well, I never!_ thought Cloud as Sephiroth picked his empty plate up and took it to the kitchen to wash. He sighed. _I'll never figure Sephy out,_ though Cloud as he ate the mashed potatoes and gravy. _His moods change so often, it's hard to tell what he's thinking… I mean, is he still angry as Zack said he was, or am I forgiven now?_

As Sephiroth walked out of the kitchen and walked towards the exit, his glared at Cloud with something like an unspoken threat.

Cloud nodded to himself. _Yeah, I suppose that means he's still angry.. I just hope he doesn't hold this grudge on me too long… Or worse, demand a rematch…_

**After dinner, in Cloud's room…**

Cloud waved Zack goodnight, and closed the door. "Boy, I'm tired…" he yawned, stretching. "I should catch some shut-eye… But first, I'll see if Tifa wrote back yet…"

Cloud turned his laptop on, went online, and checked his e-mail. He brightened. "Ah! Tifa wrote me back!" he exclaimed as he saw he had one unread message.

**_To: Cloud! It's so great that you got an e-mail account! I already sent you a letter, but now we can communicate almost instantly! Glad you're evolving with the times! _**

_**You made a friend! That's good, Cloud! I was afraid that you'd be lonely, but now I can see you'll be fine! Zack sounds like he's a nice guy, I do hope you two become good friends. But always remember that I'm your best friend:3**_

_**So, you beat up the best SOLDIER? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but if it concerns you, then I'd call it a good thing! I beat up people who try to hit on me, so I can understand berserk. You dislike fighting, so you probably blocked out the brutal defeat. Don't take my word for it, however, I'm not good at these sort of things…**_

_**Remember, Cloud, if the other boys are mean to you, give me a call, and I'll come pick you up, okay? Bye!**_

_**Tifa Lockheart**_

Cloud smiled to himself. _Oh, Tifa… I'll be fine. There'll be no need for that…_

**_To: remember that, Tifa. Thanks for writing to me! I'll write as often as I can, so you don't have to worry about not hearing from me! From now on, I'll let you know about everything that happens to me around here so you don't worry, okay? I'll talk to you soon! Bye! Cloud Strife_**

Cloud hit the "send" button, and signed out, turning the laptop off. "The world is a beautiful place," said Cloud to himself, placing the laptop on the shelf and flopping onto the bed. "I can't wait for a new day…"

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**Well, here ends chapter four. You all loving it? I hope so. Oh, and a quick note, the e-mail addresses up there are 100 made-up. They're not real e-mail addresses (at least I don't think they are), so please don't try to send e-mail to those. I used the Yahoo! E-mail service because I use it, there was no intended humor in using Yahoo! as the e-mail service. No humor intended, okay? Thanks for reading, and don't forget to let me know what you think of the fanfic, okay? Bye! Keep you're eyes peeled for chapter 5!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Mistake and review response time, whee.

**A/N: **Go ahead, celebrate, I don't care. …Fine, go on. Anyway, here's the next installment of "Life as a SOLDIER"! …uh, wow, wait a minute, I need to thank a few people and clarify a few things…here we go…

Oh, "Daijoubu" means "it'll be all right" or "it's okay" or "I'm fine".

AAH! The stupid thing got rid the e-mail addresses!

**Mario: **Oh, no!

**Me: **Well, as to avoid confusion, here's what Tifa's e-mail was: fists underscore of underscore fury at-symbol yahoo dot com. And Cloud's e-mail was this: cs at-symbol yahoo dot com. Well, sorry it didn't work out, and sorry for any confusion I caused, it looked fine when I uploaded the fanfic and previewed it. And remember, these aren't real e-mail addresses (at least I don't think…), so don't send e-mail to those addresses, I don't want to cause a problem.

A fan art idea from chapter five? What, the part when Sephiroth cut the steak and scared Cloud? Or sometime before? I would like to see that! Thanks!

T T Forgive a girl for making a mistake… It's been a looong time since I last played FF7... And besides, I said there was no reference to the game, nor the movie. This is 100 percent fanfiction! If I say Nibelheim is somewhere close to Midgar, then by the goddess, it's near Midgar. The authoress has spoken! …I don't mean to sound rude, but I don't want any more corrections about this. Is that good? Good.

Let's read on now!

**Chapter Five: The Chocobo Garden **

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When Zack entered Cloud's room the next morning, Cloud was sitting cross-legged on the bed, bent over his laptop, clicking and scrolling on various things. "Oh, you're awake early this Sunday morning," remarked Zack. "What are you doing?"

"I'm rearranging my folders and files," Cloud answered.

"What kind of folders?" asked Zack. "I mean, it's not anything stupid like… I dunno, family photos and pictures of your hometown!" said Zack, laughing.

Cloud stopped, looking down at the bed with a mildly hurt expression, trying not to say anything.

Zack, however, stopped laughing and caught the expression. "Oh, my god, I'm sorry, Cloud! I--I had no idea!" exclaimed Zack. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't laugh at things like that!"

"N-No, it's all right!" said Cloud, smiling at Zack. "It's okay for you to think it's something like that. I guess I'm too sentimental for my own good."

"No, no, no, sentimental is good!" said Zack, waving his hands wildly. "Really!"

"That's okay," said Cloud. "What kind of files and stuff do you have on your computer?" asked Cloud.

"Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that," said Zack airily.

"At least you _do_ have files up there, right? It's not like you have no family, or that you were created here or something," said Cloud with a laugh, turning back to the laptop.

Zack blinked, and looked down at the bed with a mild hurt expression, trying not to say anything.

Cloud, noticing the silence, glanced at Zack and saw the expression. "Oh, no! Zack, I'm--I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I had no idea!"

Zack shrugged. "Hey, don't worry about it," said Zack with a smile. "You had no idea."

"Oh, no, I hurt you pretty bad, didn't I?" asked Cloud with worry. "Really, I didn't mean to put it like that-- I mean, I didn't mean to say it like that…!"

"Cloud, calm down," said Zack, looking at Cloud. "Really, I'm okay. I get that all the time."

"But that just makes it worse!" fretted Cloud.

"No, coming from you, it makes me feel better!" said Zack. "It makes me think about what a good friend you are!"

"Zack…" started Cloud, looking sadly at the bed.

"Really," said Zack again, placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I'm fine. Now, let's put those thoughts aside, and think about today! I'm going to give you a Chocobo!" said Zack happily.

"Huh?" asked Cloud, looking up at Zack. "You're gonna get me a Chocobo? Why?"

"As a sign of friendship! All the SOLDIERs here have a Chocobo; you deserve one, too! Come on!"

Cloud blinked, turned the laptop off, and followed Zack out of the room and down the stairs. "There's nothing to do today?" asked Cloud.

"Nope, today's a free Sunday. All Sundays are free. Come on!" Zack took Cloud's hand and led him outside of Shinra to a grassy plain with trees and fountains and benches. "The first time you came here, you were so surprised at all the Chocobo here, remember?"

"Yeah…" said Cloud slowly remembering that incident…

**Flashback…first time visiting the Chocobo Garden…**

"Zack, what are we doing here?" asked Cloud.

"This is the Chocobo Garden!" said Zack cheerfully. "See all those yellow feathery bird-chicken like things!" Cloud nodded. "Those are Chocobos. Go on, say hello to one!"

"Its…It's a chicken," said Cloud, pointing at a Chocobo.

"No, it's a Chocobo," corrected Zack. "Pick one up, they're soo cute!"

Cloud made a face, not picking a Chocobo up. "I don't… like these…" he said slowly.

"Why not?" asked Zack in astonishment. "You'll love them, really! Here, pick one up!" Zack picked up a small Chocobo and held him out for Cloud to hold. "Here, hold him! He's so fuzzy and sooo cute!"

Cloud hesitated, then took the Chocobo, holding it the way Zack did. "I…I guess they're kinda cute," admitted Cloud, stroking the Chocobo.

"See? I told you that you'd like them!"

Cloud put the Chocobo down and he trotted off. "Do they stay that small, or do they get bigger?"

"They get bigger," assured Zack. "Big enough that you can ride them! Like that one over there! And that group over there!" Zack pointed to two groups of Chocobo.

"You can ride them?" asked Cloud. "Won't we be too heavy for them?"

"Chocobo are the strongest animals in the world!" said Zack. "They carry many heavy loads! They can even carry a ton of lead if they wanted too!"

"Really!" asked Cloud. "That's amazing!"

"What full-grown Chocobo can do is amazing!" agreed Zack, staring fondly at all the Chocobo. "I love Chocobo. They're soo cute!"

"Are there any mean Chocobo?" asked Cloud. "Surely not all the Chocobo are all sweet and cute and cuddly."

"Yeah, there's Spikey!" said Zack. "She's the meanest Chocobo you ever did see!" Zack looked around. "But, I don't see Spikey here today…"

"Did you call Spikey a she?" asked Cloud.

"I sure did."

"Spikey is a she?"

"Yep."

Cloud blinked. "Is Spikey a big Chocobo? Is she your Chocobo?" asked Cloud.

"Nah, she's not mine," said Zack, still looking around for Spikey. "It's Sephiroth's Chocobo."

Cloud fell over anime-style, and got back up. "WHAT! Sephiroth has a Chocobo too!"

"That's right!" said Zack. "Even Sephiroth has a soft spot for cute adorable Chocobo!"

"Is that Spikey?" asked Cloud, pointing at a dark-yellow Chocobo with chicken legs and a spiked punk collar and mean evil, yet cutesy blue eyes.

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Zack.

"…I didn't," said Cloud, watching Spikey. "I just guessed."

"That's some good guessing," remarked Zack.

"Hey, Spikey!" called Cloud. "Come here Spikey!"

"What are you doing?" asked Zack curiously as Spikey turned her head towards Cloud.

"I'm trying out talking to a Chocobo," said Cloud, walking toward Spikey slowly.

Spikey narrowed her eyes, and Zack said quietly, "I'm not sure this is the first Chocobo to befriend here… She's a ferocious temper, that one…"

"I'm sure Spikey will be a nice-- AAAH!" yelled Cloud suddenly, turning to run, as suddenly Spikey suddenly cawed menacingly and charged at Cloud. "Aieeeee!" screamed Cloud as he ran. "Help meeeeeeee!"

**End flashback…**

"Spikey's not here, right?" asked Cloud, looking around.

"Nope, Sephiroth took Spikey on a walk. We probably won't see them here today, Sephiroth has this habit of taking longer-then-necessary walks."

"Oh, okay," said Cloud with a slightly. "So even Sephy wants to care for his Chocobo," said Cloud with a smile.

Zack stared at Cloud. "What?"

"What?"

"Did you just call Sephiroth 'Sephy'?" asked Zack, staring at Cloud weirdly.

"Yeah, I did," answered Cloud. He stopped. _Oh, no, no one else knows that I secretly call Sephiroth "Sephy"…_

Zack laughed loudly. "Sephy!" he repeated. "That's a good one, Cloud! That could be our little secret nickname for him! Did you come up with 'Sephy' by yourself?"

Cloud nodded, feeling slightly flustered now. _Great, of all people to find out my nickname for Sephy, it had to be Zack…!_

"That's so cute! Anyway, come on!" Zack motioned for Cloud to follow him, and led Cloud to a small little nest. "There are a few eggs here, that are ready to hatch. Pick one."

Cloud looked at all the eggs. "Pick one?" he asked.

"Yep. As soon as it hatches, the Chocobo should see you, and become attached to you. You give that Chocobo a name, and that Chocobo will remember that name and your voice and learn to love you!"

"Hmm… okay…" Cloud looked at all of the eggs again, and selected an egg sitting on the edge of the nest. "I'll raise this one," said Cloud.

"Okay," said Zack. "Bring the egg over here. It'll hatch soon, and it'll probably feel better if it hatched on soft grass."

Cloud nodded and set the egg down on the soft grass, kneeling down beside it. "It'll hatch…soon?"

"Mm…" agreed Zack.

"…!" gasped Cloud as the egg started making cracking sounds. "Is it hatching!" he asked quietly. Zack nodded. Cloud watched in amazement as the egg made more cracking sounds, and the Chocobo stuck it's head out. "…" went Cloud, staring at the little Chocobo.

"Caw…" went the Chocobo baby, taking it's first breath.

"Aaw! Did you hear that?" asked Cloud softly, staring fondly at the baby Chocobo. "It cawed… Er, how can I tell what gender the Chocobo is?"

"The color of the feathers," answered Zack, smiling fondly. "If it has darker feathers, it's a girl. If the feathers are lighter, it's a guy."

"Hmm…" Cloud very carefully pulled the egg shell off of the Chocobo, cleaned it off, and checked the feathers. "Dark yellow feathers," he said to himself. "I get a girl Chocobo…" Cloud smiled again. "I'll take good care of you, little Chocobo…"

The Chocobo opened her eyes and saw Cloud's face. She cawed happily and snuggled his face.

"She likes me," said Cloud happily, petting the Chocobo with a finger. "What shall I name her…?"

"See, I told you you'd come to loving Chocobo," said Zack happily.

"Hmm… I'll call her Kumo," decided Cloud. "Yes, her name is Kumo!"

"Kumo?" asked Zack. "That's a pretty name."

"I know!" said Cloud happily, holding Kumo close to him. "I'll take very good care of Kumo…"

"Caw!" said Kumo with joy.

Zack watched Cloud for a few minutes, deep in thought. _He's too nice and innocent,_ thought Zack sadly. _Why would sachoo want tests put on _him_ of all SOLDIERs here…? Whatever sachoo expects of Cloud, I hope he tells me soon… I'll never get over myself if these tests and programs hurt Cloud, or his mind…_

Cloud looked up at Zack. "Zack, what's wrong? You look weird."

"Huh?" Zack shook his head of the thoughts. "No, it's nothing, Cloud. Just thinking about a few things. You really love Kumo, huh?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, wait here, I'll bring you some food for Kumo. Wait here!" Zack hurried off to get some food for Kumo.

Cloud gazed warmly at Kumo, stroking her all-ready-soft feathers. "…I feel a new softness," said Cloud to himself. "I guess this is how parents feel for children," decided Cloud as Kumo cawed happily again.

Zack arrived a few minutes later with some seeds and a bottle of water. "Here, Cloud, she'll feel safer when you feed her."

Cloud took the seeds and bottled water with thanks, bringing it down to Kumo.

Kumo sniffed the seeds curiously, and took a few pecks of the seed. "Caw!" she said happily, pecking at some more seeds.

Cloud laughed softly to himself. "I love you, Kumo," he said, stroking her feathers. "This really is a strange feeling. Isn't it, Zack?" asked Cloud, looking up at Zack.

"…Yes, it is," sad Zack with a smile. "I'm glad you'll be happy here."

Cloud nodded agreement, cuddling Kumo close to his cheek.

Off in the distance, Sephiroth stood with narrowed eyes, stroking the head of his own Chocobo, Spikey. "So you have a Chocobo all your own…? And that Chocobo is the only egg that Spikey laid… Was it a coincidence that Cloud chose that particular egg, or is it something else…? Whatever it is, I'll find out what similarities there are between the two of us," decided Sephiroth, patting Spikey on the head and turning around to walk back to Shinra.

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**Whee! A sweet chapter, don't you think? Thanks as always for reviewing, and I'll see you next chapter! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **This fanfic is a mix of everything, isn't it? …cool.

**A/N: **Well, nothing else to say except let's move on.

**Chapter Six: The Rematch and the Bloodstained Showdown**

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"Come on, Cloud, we have to go now," said Zack.

"Will Kumo be okay here on her own?" asked Cloud.

"Yes, the other Chocobo will take care of Kumo. All the Chocobo take care of each other while we're away. She'll be fine."

Cloud glanced down sadly at Kumo, and stood up. "Okay…" he said. "Let's go…"

"Come on, Cloud," said Zack, putting an arm around Cloud and leading him away from Kumo. "She'll be fine on her own. Come along."

Cloud looked back sadly, then nodded agreement. "Okay…" Cloud sighed. "I'm gonna miss Kumo…"

"Dude, you're making it sound like Kumo's dying. Calm down, you can see her tomorrow during break."

Cloud leaned on Zack sadly. "Wah… But I don't want to leave Kumo…"

Zack stared down at Cloud. "We'll see her again tomorrow, okay?"

Cloud looked up at Zack. "…thank you, Zack," said Cloud, looking down at the ground shyly as they walked back to Shinra. When they got back, it was noon time, and lunch was being served.

Zack quickly removed his arm from Cloud as the two SOLDIERs came running to Zack. "Hey, there you are, Zack!" called one SOLDIER. "We missed you today, where were you?"

"I was showing Cloud the Chocobo Garden again, and I let him chose a Chocobo to raise."

"You let Cloud raise a Chocobo?" asked the other SOLDIER. "Is Cloud able to care for a Chocobo?"

"I bet he's able for anything," said one SOLIDER. "After all, he _did_ defeat Sephiroth his second day here!"

"A mistake I want to correct," said a voice behind the four of them.

The four of them looked back to see Sephiroth standing there. "Sephiroth, how are you!" said Zack with a mix of fear and bravado. "We're just off to lunch now! Want to join us?"

"I'm afraid the only ones not going to lunch today are me and Cloud. Cloud, come with me, I want a word with you."

Cloud stared up at Sephiroth. _Oh, dear, he is angry… What does he want to see me for? _"Ok-Okay," agreed Cloud.

"But, Cloud," started Zack.

"We can't go against Sephiroth's word," said one SOLDIER reasonably. "Come on, I'm sure Cloud will catch up quickly.

"Let's not miss lunch, Zack!" agreed the other SOLDIER.

Zack looked like he was about to disagree for a few seconds; then he nodded slowly. "Ok…fine. See you later, Cloud?"

"Sure, Zack. See you," said Cloud.

Zack waved and walked with the two SOLDIERs to the cafeteria as Sephiroth placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder and steered him towards his room.

As Zack took a seat in the cafeteria with his two friends, Zack opened up his laptop and clicked over to Cloud's programming, and kept a visual open. _At least I can keep an eye on him,_ thought Zack.

"Make it interesting!" said one SOLDIER. "Change the way Cloud talks once in a while!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah!" agreed the other SOLDIER. "Like, make Cloud talk in the third person!"

"Hmm… Sure, okay!" said Zack, typing up "Cloud talks in the third person". "Let's see how this turns out."

**With Cloud…**

Cloud took a seat opposite of Sephiroth, staring down at his light-blue slippered feet. _Well, at least you can't deny he keeps his guest comfy,_ thought Cloud.

Sephiroth (who was wearing silver fuzzy slippers) sat back casually, eyeing Cloud. "Well?" he said after a few minutes. "Don't you have something to explain?"

"Explain?" repeated Cloud. "Cloud has wondered about that too…" he stopped. _wait, did Cloud just talk in the third person… ? Did he just think in the third person!_

"…what?" asked Sephiroth, sure he had misheard Cloud.

"Nothing, Cloud said that he too wondered about the battle…" Cloud stopped in confusion. _Wait, Cloud _is_ talking and thinking in the third person! Why now? Cloud has never spoke in the third person!_

"Okay, acting cute won't cut any ice with me!" said Sephiroth. "I'm being serious here! I want you to tell me what happened at the battle! You must have some idea on how you defeated me!"

"No, no, Cloud has no idea!" said Cloud. 'Really, he has no idea, don't ask Cloud about it!"

"Must I ask the questions then?" asked Sephiroth in an exasperated tone.

"That would help Cloud out, he's not a good talker…" Cloud stopped again, looking down. _This will only make Sephy angry… How can Cloud make himself stop talking and thinking in the third person?_

**With Zack…**

One of the SOLDIERs howled with laughter. "Look at this, Sephiroth's getting pretty annoyed right now!"

"I guess Sephiroth doesn't like the third person," said Zack musingly. "I didn't know that…"

"Hey, hey, make Cloud a mute next!" said the other SOLDIER.

"Guys, be serious, Sephiroth isn't made to be angry or annoyed, it makes him murderous!" Zack told them warningly.

"Come off it!" said the other SOLDIER, and reached over Zack to type "Cloud is now a mute".

**With Cloud…**

"Fine, tell me what happened when you went berserk," said Sephiroth.

Cloud opened his mouth to talk, but nothing came out. He blinked in surprise, placing a hand over his throat warily. He moved his mouth but no sounds came out.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Now what is it!" he demanded.

Cloud tried talking again, but again failed to utter a sound. He looked a little distressed now, moving his mouth frantically.

"You try my patience," said Sephiroth menacingly, narrowing his eyes. "Quit fooling around and talk already! I know you're hiding something!"

Cloud shook his head, trying to say he couldn't talk without talking.

Sephiroth stood up and strode over to Cloud, glaring down at him. "Well, can you talk now?" he asked, looking indeed scary standing 6 feet tall.

Cloud signed that he couldn't talk, trying vainly to make sound.

"Come on, Cloud, before I hurt you or something!"

**With Zack…**

"Now you guys have done it!" said Zack, quickly correcting the problem.

"What? We're just having a bit of fun," said one SOLDIER defensively. "Come on, it's fun watching Sephiroth get angry like that!"

"Idiot!" snapped Zack. "When Sephiroth gets angry, he has this bad habit of murdering brutally the one who got him angry! Remember Billy Bob?"

"Yeah…" said the two SOLDIERs slowly.

"Billy Bob made Sephiroth very angry that day by mentioning the 'J' word, and Sephiroth got so angry he murdered Billy Bob in front of everyone! Do you want the same thing to happen to Cloud!"

"No, Zack…" said the two SOLDIERs slowly.

"Then honor Billy Bob's memory, and protect Cloud's life by shutting up and getting lunch! I can handle this!"

"Okay, Zack…" said the two SOLDIERs slowly, trudging to the serving table.

Zack heaved a sigh, and looked back at the visual, and stared in surprise. "Oh, dear, Sephiroth is pretty angry."

**With Cloud…**

Cloud was on the ground holding his cheek. Sephiroth had just struck Cloud pretty hard. "You got your voice back?" asked Sephiroth.

"…yeah," said Cloud, rubbing his cheek.

"There, problem solved." Sephiroth went back to his seat as Cloud climbed back to his own seat. "Now will you answer me properly?"

"I--I will, Sephy--Sephiroth," Cloud corrected himself quickly.

But Sephiroth heard that. "What was that you called me?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I--I said 'I will, Sephiroth'," stammered Cloud, looked down to hide a small blush. _I can't get so flustered like this… I can't feel anything like _that_ for Sephiroth…!_

"Liar," said Sephiroth quietly. "You called me 'Sephy', didn't you? Don't deny it, I heard you."

"…okay, I did… I called you Sephy…" said Cloud, staring into the carpet.

Sephiroth stared at Cloud. "Sephy," he said to himself. "You shortened my perfect name? Why, is it too hard for you to pronounce? How dare you remove the 'roth'!"

"No--No, that's not it!" said Cloud hurriedly, glancing up at Sephiroth, who was wearing his narrow-eyed expression. "I--I just shortened it because…"

"Don't beat around the bush, just tell me," said Sephiroth.

Cloud looked down, not answering. _My--My heart's beating so fast… from what? I--I don't like Sephiroth…_

Sephiroth stood up. "Cloud," he said suddenly.

"What…?" asked Cloud, looking up at him cautiously.

"I want a rematch with you. Right now."

"What? Now?" asked Cloud.

"I don't take too kindly to being defeated," explained Sephiroth as he walked around towards Cloud slowly. "Especially not by someone like _you_," said Sephiroth with a glare, putting emphasis on the "you".

"Someone…like me?" repeated Cloud. "What do you mean?"

"The way you are. Everything about you. You're so shy and quiet, and so innocent and naïve… yet you came here, a place that is no place for people like that. You say that you came here to become stronger for a friend, but I think otherwise… You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

"No, that's the truth," said Cloud, looking up at Sephiroth, who stood a few feet away. "Really, I'm not hiding anything… I came here for my friend Tifa. I promised her that I'd become stronger for her…"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Then prove it to me," he said. "Let us go to the dueling hall and have a rematch. Surely, by some miracle, you might not be killed this next battle, because I _won't_ lose."

Cloud gasped in shock at the intensity in Sephiroth's voice. _He's--he's serious…!_ thought Cloud in horror as Sephiroth walked to the steps leading to the door, taking the fuzzy slippers off and putting on his leather boots. "I'll be waiting, Cloud," said Sephiroth. "If you don't show in an hour, I'll drag you to the arena myself. I mean it." Sephiroth picked up his Masamune and walked out the door.

Cloud sat still, staring at the floor. "He…wants a rematch… He wants to fight me again…_" _Cloud stood up slowly and followed suit, taking the slippers off and putting his boots on, and hurried up to his room, forgetting about lunch. _My swords… I wonder if they had something to do with it?_ asked Cloud to himself as he grabbed them. "Well… here I go," he said to himself, and hurried down the stairs.

**With Zack…**

Zack watched the progress, feeling slightly anxious. _Oh, no, what should I do now…? This is a perfect opportunity to test the "berserk" program again, but… If Cloud can't control himself again, if the program is too much for him… He could do a lot of damage to himself and Sephiroth… I'll wait it out, maybe Cloud can do it this time…If it looks like he's about to lose, then…_

**With Cloud…**

Cloud took much care to go as slowly as he could, but he still got to the door marked "dueling hall" in a matter of 8 minutes. _I'll just do my best,_ decided cloud, even though his heart thudded loudly inside him. Cloud shook himself and entered the room. "Sephiroth, I'm here," announced Cloud.

Sephiroth glanced sideways at Cloud. "Ah, it was wise of you to show up, Cloud. Now I can defeat you properly, with some real wounds to think about." Sephiroth readied his Masamune. _If he tries that move on me again, I'll counter it_, decided Sephiroth.

Cloud unsheathed the first sword slowly. _I'll try not to fight or get to aggressive… I'll just keep defending, and hopefully… I won't black out or get possessed or whatever happened last time…_

Sephiroth waited a second, then charged quickly at Cloud, attacking quickly. Cloud successfully defended against the attack, but in the second it took Cloud to recover, Sephiroth used the flat part of Masamune and struck Cloud across the room.

"Awa!" yelled Cloud as he flew, hitting the ground.

"Hah! How's that?" Sephiroth asked. He didn't await an answer; instead he jumped high in the air and struck Cloud away again before Cloud could get up again.

Cloud crashed back-first into the wall with a yell, sliding down and landing face first on the hard floor. _this--this isn't good…_

Even as Cloud hurriedly got back up, Sephiroth came back, attacking quickly and furiously, making Cloud defend quickly. "You can't defend forever, Cloud!" said Sephiroth. "Come at me!"

"I--I can't!" said Cloud, trying to catch his breath. "I'm not good enough to!"

"Don't tell me that, not when you defeated me once!" said Sephiroth darkly. "Quit messing around, and fight me!"

Sephiroth jumped high in the air and came down quickly on Cloud, tossing him down into the ground. Cloud rolled quickly to dodge the attack, and pulled out his second sword, coming it with the first in hopes of defending himself better; however, being caught off guard did him no good, as Sephiroth slashed hard at Cloud's side. With a sharp cry, cloud fell to the ground, clutching his side, holding the combined blade in his hand. _Oh, no, he drew blood…!_ realized Cloud, checking his hand.

**With Zack…**

_Oh, no, he drew blood!_ realized Zack. He felt himself wobble. _I--I don't like blood… But I-I must! I have to help Cloud!_ Zack clicked up Cloud's programming and quickly typed "Cloud fights back swiftly and carefully".

**With Cloud…**

Cloud stood up shakily, shook himself, and charged at Sephiroth, attacking, as Zack typed (though he didn't know it), swiftly and carefully.

Sephiroth, who was probably expecting this, defended quickly, and attacked Cloud, sending him flying back.

Cloud recovered quickly, staying on his feet, and attacked, whirling around Sephiroth to attack from behind. Sephiroth defended, but was caught off guard when Cloud pulled out a third blade and knocked Sephiroth away with it.

Sephiroth growled to himself. _He's starting to get more aggressive,_ he realized. _I have to be more careful…_

Cloud combined swords three through five, glaring up at Sephiroth, readying himself to attack. _For some reason,_ he thought to himself, _I know what to do…! I hope it lasts!_ thought Cloud as he charged at Sephiroth again.

Sephiroth parried the attack, but was slashed in the arm by Cloud's sixth blade. He hit the wall hard, and glanced quickly at his arm. _…? No-one has ever made me draw blood before…! What is he!_ Sephiroth gritted his teeth and attacked Cloud again, sending Cloud flying across the room.

"Gaaah!" yelled Cloud as he hit the ground hard on his injured side. He winced greatly as he clutched his side, trying to get back up.

"Now I have you!" said Sephiroth, and slashed Masamune down hard at Cloud, cutting across Cloud's front.

Cloud hit the wall again, this time not recovering very good. He slid down the wall with a gasp of pain, holding his shirt.

Sephiroth stood in front of Cloud. _Now's my chance to finish him! _thought Sephiroth.

**With Zack…**

Zack let out a cry of surprise. "This is bad!" he cried. "At this rate, Sephiroth might actually…!"

"Zack, this is a pretty intense battle!" commented one SOLDIER, munching on a chicken bone as he watched the battle.

"Yeah, look at all that blood!" exclaimed the other SOLDIER, chewing on some sandwiches.

"Don't say the word 'blood' in my vicinity!" snarled Zack angrily, opening the file marked "programs", and opened Cloud's program again. _I'm sorry, buddy, but it has to be done!_ Zack typed up the word "BERSERK", hitting the enter button three times greatly.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud was about to sit there and accept defeat, but suddenly a monster roared inside him. Cloud gasped. _What--What's happening! _asked Cloud frantically to himself. _It--its happening again! This is what happened last time! I can't let it happen! I can't defeat Sephiroth again!_

Sephiroth pointed his long katana at Cloud. "Well? Are you going to admit defeat, or shall I force the words to come out?"

Cloud dropped his sword with a clang, putting a hand to his head and shaking it. _No, no, no, no, no…I won't… I won't…!_

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes again. "What's wrong?" he asked, curious in spite of himself. _Is it that he's about to…?_ Cloud stared up at Sephiroth, fighting the new monster that tried to inhabit him. Sephiroth noticed that Cloud's eyes were flashing strangely. They were trying to become that evil dark green again, yet they flashed blue occasionally. _What is he fighting?_

Cloud slumped over, holding himself up for support, breathing heavily. _I…can't fight this…_ thought Cloud as he saw everything around him go black… He picked up the sword and unsheathed blades seven and eight, combining all the blades together.

Noticing this, Sephiroth quickly jumped out of Cloud's reach, realizing the evil dark green eye color Cloud had now. _He's doing it again… But now, I know… I'm ready for it…When he tries that move again…_ Sephiroth readied his Masamune, awaiting Cloud to make the first move. When Cloud charged at Sephiroth, Sephiroth dived at Cloud, holding out his sword, ready to strike.

Cloud pushed his own blade against Sephiroth's, both holding onto that position. Cloud pushed down hard on Sephiroth, pushing Sephiroth back a little. Sephiroth snarled and pushed back harder, both standing at a standstill. For a few minutes, they both pushed down hard on the others blade, trying to dissuade the other; in the end, Sephiroth resorted to a nasty cheat; he swung his leg around and tripped Cloud, catching the blonde SOLDIER off guard for the final time.

"Now I own this victory!" yelled Sephiroth, and stabbed Cloud through the gut.

Cloud yelled in pain, but he was pinned the floor by Sephiroth's blade; obviously, he couldn't move.

Sephiroth leaned close to Cloud, and said quietly, "Now no-one will ever question who the best around here is ever again, and your death shall prove it!"

Sephiroth unstuck the sword and was about to stab Cloud once again through the heart, until somebody yelled, "Stop!" Sephiroth turned to look over his shoulder and saw Zack standing at the doorway, breathing heavily from running but his sword in his hand. "Sephiroth, stop! I'll explain everything!"

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**Oh-hoh! This isn't a bad stop to make a small cliffhanger, eh? What do you think is about to happen here? What will Zack explain to Sephiroth? And what'll happen to Cloud? Stay tuned for the next installment, okay? See you in chapter seven! Bye for now!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **A little note thingy: Tseng (a.k.a Dude), Reno, Rude, Elena, and Vincent (a.k.a Vince) appear in this chapter, though they won't be main characters. They make frequent appearances, but have no importance in the main story light…Maybe Vince, and even maybe Reno and Rude. We'll see… Sigh, I always loved the intense drama of…uh, the intense drama.

**A/N: **Yeah, me too, although I think I outdid myself this time… Oh, well. Let's carry on.

**Chapter Seven: The Best Laid Plans of SOLDIERs and Turks. **

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"I'll explain everything!" repeated Zack. "Just don't kill Cloud!"

Sephiroth glared at Zack. "What do you mean, 'explain everything'? In case you haven't noticed, Cloud is doing something weird every time he attacks me! He's got some kind of…_monster, _living in him… I want to find out what it is!"

"I'll tell you right now," said Zack with a sigh. "It's no monster inside Cloud; it's my programming. The 'berserk' program."

"Berserk?" repeated Sephiroth, lowering the sword. "Program? What are you talking about? You had something to do with this all this time… I knew it!" cried Sephiroth accusingly.

"Yes, I did, I don't deny it…" Zack lowered his sword too. _Well, it's time now… I just hope Cloud doesn't hear this…_ "About a week before Cloud came to join us, sachoo had a special project for me to work on. He called it the 'berserk' program. He told me that once he was finished writing it, I was to test it on the next SOLDIER to join us. As it turned out, that SOLDIER was Cloud.

"But something really intrigued the sachoo about Cloud. You know it too, that Cloud somehow has one of Jenova's cells inside of him, even though he's never been to SOLDIER. So he had me investigate his life and profiles, everything about Cloud. I researched a while about it…"

"Go on," said Sephiroth, sheathing his Masamune.

Zack walked over to Cloud, looking down at him. "…yes, the sachoo ordered me to put tests on Cloud. He wanted the 'berserk' program tested on Cloud. If someone outside of Shinra's SOLDIERs had a Jenova cell, it must mean that he has something Shinra doesn't…"

"I thought it was pretty strange myself," admitted Sephiroth. "So what did you find out?"

"…nothing. I could find no explanation. It seems impossible, sachoo had thought, that one of Jenova's cells escaped from Shinra, and happened to cross Cloud… These berserk programs were to see if Cloud's power matched your own."

"No one can match my power!" said Sephiroth indignantly. "I'm the best! You know that, everyone knows that!"

"Not the best," corrected Zack sharply. "The strongest."

"…what?" asked Sephiroth.

"You heard me!" said Zack bravely. "You're so conceited in thinking you're the best! But you know as well as I that your 'greatness' is in your strength alone! You're nothing without your strength!"

Sephiroth glared, and turned to face Zack fully. "Okay," he said. "Okay, say that again, I dare you."

Zack hesitated. _Oh, dear, I've made him angry… Oh, shit, this is what Billy Bob did before he was killed by Sephiroth…_

"Didn't you hear me?" asked Sephiroth, walked towards Zack slowly. "Go on, say it again! It won't help you any, or Cloud any!"

Zack bit his lip, thinking quickly. _I've risked Sephiroth's anger greatly… My life's on the line… Either I leave now and let Sephiroth kill Cloud, or risk my own life to save him… What should I do…? I care for Cloud, yes, but is he really worth my life…?_

**_Flash: Cloud smiling fondly at Kumo the Chocobo, a bright shining light in his eyes…_**

Zack blinked, shaking the image from his mind. _No, he's not worth it…_

_**Flash: Cloud snuggling Kumo. "I think she likes me!" he told Zack happily…**_

Zack shook his head again as Sephiroth stopped in front of him. "Well, Zack? What are you going to do? Surely Cloud isn't worth that much to you?"

**_Flash: Cloud looking at Zack with worry, saying, "I think you're perfect!"…_**

Zack stared down at the small, lifeless figure that was Cloud, still on the ground. _He is… he's worth it!_ decided Zack with fierce determination. He looked up at Sephiroth. "Out of my way," he said.

"Excuse me?" asked Sephiroth indignantly.

"I said get out of my way!" said Zack louder.

By now, some SOLDIERs had gathered at the door and were watching this. "Oh, my god, look at this!" exclaimed one SOLDIER hushed.

"Zack is standing up to Sephiroth!" said another.

"Zack's either very brave or really foolish!"

Zack and Sephiroth held each others gazes for a few seconds. Then Sephiroth gave Zack a disgusted grudging glare, and stepped out of Zack's way so Zack could get to Cloud. Zack ran over to Cloud, kneeling down to Cloud. "Cloud! Cloud!" called Zack. Zack looked at the wounds, which were still bleeding. Zack had that woozy feeling again. _No, don't concentrate on the blood…_Zack told himself firmly. _You have to help Cloud now…_ Zack held Cloud up with on arm, while holding cloud's face straight with his other arm. "Cloud, wake up!"

Sephiroth watched with cold eyes as Cloud winced a little, opening his eyes slightly. "Zack…?" he asked faintly. "What…happened…?"

Zack sighed with relief. "You're okay… Well, for now, you are. We have to get those wounds cleaned up. I'll help you…" Zack helped Cloud up, and walked him slowly out of the room, supporting him with one arm.

Sephiroth scoffed to himself. _The nerve,_ he thought angrily. _The absolute nerve! Talking to me like that…_ He narrowed his eyes once more. _You both will pay for this if I have to…_

**Meanwhile, in another part of Shinra…**

Sachoo was looking over some paperwork, rereading a few plans and such. "Hmm…" he muttered to himself. "Everything seems to be working fine," he said. He looked up at the group of people standing in front of him. "You find anything?" he asked.

One of the people in the group stepped forward with a slight nod of his head. "Yes, sachoo, we're getting close. We've been investigating the situation for a while now… We've found out quite a bit."

"Excellent," said sachoo. "I'd expect nothing but that from my most resourceful agents, the Turks. Tseng, your group is doing a great job."

The Turk named Tseng nodded again. "Yes, thank you, sachoo. We shall continue our research now."

"Do that," agreed sachoo. "Remember to report to me as often as you can. Go on now," said sachoo.

Tseng nodded his head, and motioned for the others to follow him.

"Oh, and Tseng?" called sachoo as the others left. Tseng looked back. "Do keep an eye on Reno and Rude. They have big mouths and might spill the plan. Keep careful watch on them. Make sure Elena and Vincent do the same."

"Yes, sachoo," said Tseng with another nod, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"What did sachoo want?" asked a red-headed Turk named Reno. "I heard sachoo say mine and Rude's name. Are we given a special mission?" asked Reno eagerly.

"Yeah, that special mission is to keep your mouth shut when we talk about the plan," answered Tseng curtly.

"Hey, dude, you're being mean!" said Reno.

"Don't worry about it," said Rude, a bald Turk (who's really Jamaican who's pretending to be a Turk). "The sachoo granted us this mission, and that's what counts in the end. Just think, we might get paid extra to hold our silence."

"If you guys had a salary for how silent you were, you'd be living a poor, poverty style life for sure," remarked Elena with a teasing smile.

"We can be silent!" said Reno with dignity. "A sexy beast such a myself can maintain his silence!"

"Yeah, long enough to look at himself in the mirror," retorted Tseng.

"How dare you!" exclaimed Reno. "Ooh! You're just jealous, Dude, that I'm more sexy then you!"

"I have no reason to be jealous of you," answered Tseng coolly. "And my name is 'Tseng', not 'Dude'."

"You know I can't pronounce Tsiing…Thing…Tsung…Thong!"

Elena, Tseng, Rude, and Vincent whapped Reno on the side of his head.

Reno held his head. "Ouchie," he whined.

"Not another word," warned Elena, raising a finger warningly. "Come on, we have our research to do."

Reno heaved a resigned sigh. "Fine, fine, I'll shut up."

"Glory," muttered Vincent, muttering quietly that no one heard him. But that wasn't unusual. Vincent rarely offered opinions, and he was so secretive that no one really know anything about him.

"Sachoo had better be pleased with our work," said Reno moodily to himself.

"He will," assured Rude, patting Reno's shoulder.

"Come on," said Elena, holding the door open, and the group entered the room where many kinds of research was held. Elena closed the door, leaving a soft silence in their wake.

**The next morning, in Zack's room…**

Cloud blinked awake. "…?" he asked himself. "Where am I? I don't remember this…?" Cloud sighed, and decided to go back to sleep, rolling over. WHACK. He hit a wall. "Owie…" he whined, rubbing his already-aching head. "Where did that come from…?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about the wall," said Zack apologetically.

Cloud blinked again, and sat up, and saw that he was resting in Zack's room. "Zack?" he asked. "How did I come be here?"

"You shouldn't move so much," said Zack, standing up and walking over to Cloud. "You suffered severe damage to your gut. Doctor says you shouldn't move so much."

"Severe damage?" asked Cloud. "What do you…?" he trailed off, remembering the uneventful end of the last battle with Sephiroth. "Oh, that…"

"But I'm glad to see you're awake!" said Zack cheerfully, sitting at the foot of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh… My head aches," said Cloud.

"Oh, sorry, you hit your head on the wall. Sorry."

"What was your bed doing by the wall?" Cloud did a double take, and asked, "This bed is in the closet?"

"Well, yeah," said Zack. "This was Sephy's old room."

"This is? When was he promoted to that other room then?" asked Cloud.

"Uh… I dunno, about a year ago?" asked Zack. "I don't remember."

"Okay…" said Cloud. He made an attempt to sit up, but clutched his side with a wince. "Owie… My side still hurts?"

"Oh, yeah, you lost some…uh, some of that red stuff from that wound. But you should be fine."

"Red stuff?"

"Yeah, bl--…" Zack sighed. "Bl…" he shook his head. "You know what I mean," he said with a casual wave of his hand. "All that matters is that you're fine! Come on, it's Monday, and it's breakfast time now."

"I don't know what you mean," said Cloud with an apologetic glance. "What do you mean 'red stuff'?"

"…okay, but remember, I'm only going to say this once. What I mean by 'red stuff' is…blood."

"Blood?"

"Yes, the red stuff!" Zack sighed wearily. "Don't make me say it again, please."

"Okay, I won't…" said Cloud.

"Doctor says that when you have strength to stand, you should try to walk off any pain that you feel. So you know what that means?"

"No," answered Cloud truthfully.

"It means that you get to blow off lessons today! Aren't you lucky!"

"Eh? I do?"

"Yep! Come on, out, let's get you something to eat first!"

"I'm not really that hungry right now," admitted Cloud. "Could I just walk around Shinra now? I'll see you later today, all right?"

"You're not hungry? But… Today we're getting sausage, pancakes, and maple syrup…" Zack scrutinized Cloud closely. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Cloud, getting up from the bed.

"…if you say so," said Zack. "I'll see you later. You watch yourself, okay?"

"I will," promised Cloud, waving to his friend. "I'll see you later." Cloud and Zack left the room and went down the stairs together, but split paths at the cafeteria door. Cloud watched Zack hurry to the serving table with his two SOLDIER friends, smiled, and walked down the hall.

This hallway was a most mysterious one indeed. There were many locked doors, and some doors required a code and a card key, but Cloud walked down this hallway, slowly yet surely walking off the pain in his side and his head. But soon he heard thudding footsteps, and hear a guff voice from beyond the corner. "Sheesh, what a schedule," said the voice of Bruce.

_Crap, someone's coming!_ thought Cloud. He looked around, not wanting to meet anyone in particular, and noticed an unlocked door. _I'll hide in there! _decided Cloud, running into the room, and saw that it was what looked like a board meeting room. He saw a few mugs of coffee and some half-finished doughnuts on the table which indicated that the meeting probably wasn't finished yet. Cloud looked around, and noticed a closet. _Right. I'll hide in there…_ Cloud hurried to the closet, and closed the closet door, just as the door opened, and a group of people entered the room.

"…can't afford to make mistakes," said a voice.

"Come on, all I did was accidentally spill coffee on the research paper!" said another voice. "Don't throw the blame on me!"

"Guys, don't argue!" said a woman's voice. "We're here to finish what we were discussing this morning. Where were we, Tseng?"

The man called Tseng answered, "We were discussing the secret plans involving the research we've been conducting. Sachoo is getting slightly impatient, he said. He wants answers soon, or he'll hire someone else."

"I've told sachoo that we'll take as much time as we need," answered a calm voice. "He may have grudgingly agreed us more time, but we can't be so optimistic."

"Oh, sure, the sachoo will listen to_ you_, Vince," said the second voice.

"Don't call me Vince," said the calm voice. "I told you my name's Vincent."

"Reno, try to focus on the meeting's subject," said the woman's voice. "The world doesn't revolve around you, I'm so sure!"

"Elena, you're breaking my heart!" said the voice of Reno with a teasing tone. "Don't tell a man that the world doesn't revolve around him, or his self-esteem plummets faster then the meteor that brought Jenova here!"

"Don't speak of Jenova so lightly," said Tseng. "You never know who might be listening…"

"Are you listening to this, Rude?" asked Reno to his friend. "They don't want me to talk."

"It'd be best for you, Reno, to keep your mouth shut," responded Rude. "Your mouth must run at the same speed as your brain."

"So I've been told," sighed Reno wearily.

"That's enough," said Tseng. "Let us resume the meeting."

"Do you remember what we were discussing in the library?" asked Vincent.

"Yes, we were discussing the possibility that Jenova might be showing some signs of actual life."

"Oh, yeah, that!" said Reno.

_Jenova showing actual life?_ Cloud though to himself. _What does that mean?_

"Does anyone know about this?" asked Rude.

"No one except us and the sachoo," answered Reno. "these meetings were held in strict private conditions."

"Not anymore they aren't," said Vincent.

"What do you mean, Vincent?" asked Elena.

Vincent looked towards the closet, making Cloud blink in surprise. _Oh, no! Does he know I'm here?_

"What's so interesting about the closet, Vince?" asked Reno, looking at the closet too..

"I'd check the closet if I were you," said Vincent, pointing at the closet.

Tseng nodded towards the closet, and Elena stood up and strode to the closet. "Who would hide in a closet?" asked Elena as she opened the closet door. She looked down at Cloud in surprise. "…! Hey! What's a SOLIDER doing in here?" she asked.

"There's a SOLDIER in the closet?" asked Tseng.

"What's he doing in the closet?" asked Rude.

"I was… uh…" Cloud searched his head for an excuse. _Now I've done it… I've gone and accidentally eavesdropped on a private meeting…_

Vincent stood up and walked next to Elena, looking down at Cloud. "What do you reckon we should do with him?"

"I was just about to leave, but I got lost, so I noticed this room was unlocked so I went inside, and was searching for a map or something but then I heard voices and decided to hide!" said Cloud in one breath.

"And you hid hearing voices? Why? You could have simply awaited here and asked us for directions rather then hide," Elena pointed out.

"…I wasn't thinking clearly," muttered Cloud, looking down.

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "He obviously must be lying," he said. "It's not possible to get lost in Shinra. And what were you doing coming down this corridor anyway? If you read the signs, you should have read that only first class SOLDIERs are allowed pat here. I can tell you're not a first class SOLDIER."

"Well, just give him a slap on the wrist and send him on his way," said Reno. "He hasn't heard anything of any importance, we should just let him off the hook now."

Tseng nodded. "Send him on his way," he told Elena.

"What, is this a woman thing?" asked Elena as Vincent went back to sit down at the table.

"Afraid so," said Rude.

Elena sighed and grabbed Cloud's arm. "Come on, let's go," she said. "I'll escort you back to the cafeteria."

"But I… okay," sighed Cloud resignedly. Cloud let himself be walked away by Elena as the rest of the group watched her and Cloud leave.

"Now you know better, huh?" asked Elena as she stopped at the edge of the hallway. "I'll leave you here. I assume you know how to get the cafeteria," she asked.

"I know," he said.

"Good," said Elena. "Remember, don't come down this hallway again, the sign right here-" she pointed to a pretty distinguished sign, "-says that only first class SOLDIERs can come past here. Keep that in mind for the future."

"Right."

"Right," agreed Elena, turning around. "See you later." She walked down the hallway out of sight.

Cloud sighed. "But I'm not hungry," he told no one in particular, taking a detour to the stairway to go up to his room. "I'll check my e-mail," he decided, entering his room. He saw an unopened letter on the table long with a half-eaten chocolate bar.

There was a small note on the table:

_Sorry, buddy, but the chocolate smelled soo good I just _had_ to eat it! But worry not, I left half for you. And I didn't read the letter. I'm a good friend I am! See you later! Zack_

Cloud smiled to himself in half-exasperation, half-amusement. "Zack, you're so funny at times…" he picked up the half-eaten chocolate bar and opened the letter.

_Dear Cloud,_

_Hey! It's me, Tifa! I'm writing you a letter, because you don't have e-mail. I hope you're doing all right! The townspeople here mention you once in a while; I think they miss you like I do. You remember to write me back, okay? I worry about you sometimes, but I know you'll be just fine! I've even included some chocolate to cheer you up if you're down. You love chocolate still, yes?_

_Sincerely yours, _

_Tifa Lockhart_

"That's nice of her," said Cloud to himself, opening his own laptop and signing into his e-mail inbox. "Oh, I have two unread messages?" Cloud clicked on the inbox button. "Who else has my e-mail?"

Cloud indeed had two unread messages: one was from Tifa, and the other was from sachoo. He could tell it was from sachoo by the name, Shinra.

"Eh…? How did sachoo get my e-mail? I'll check that next…" Cloud opened Tifa's e-mail first.

**_To: cs (at-symbol)  
From: fist (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) _**

That's good to hear! I'm always here for you, okay? Did anything happen that I ought to know about? For some reason, I had this feeling that something bad happened. You could call it woman's intuition. Do tell me if anything bad happened, all right, Cloud? Remember, bad events rely on secrecy, so tell me everything!

_**See you again, Cloud! **_

_**Tifa Lockhart**_

Cloud smiled at the e-mail. "I…I shouldn't worry her," he decided. "I won't tell her about the second battle with Sephiroth…" Cloud typed up a response.

**_To: fist (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol)  
From: cs (at-symbol) _**

I'm fine, Tifa, nothing's wrong. You don't have to worry about me. And I got your letter, thanks for the chocolate! You know what I like, thank you! I wouldn't mind some ore chocolate...hah, ha, just kidding. I'm glad to hear from you. I'll talk to you soon! Cloud Strife

Cloud clicked the send button, and glanced at he other unread e-mail. _Well, all right, I'll open it. It can't be that bad…_ Cloud opened the e-mail, and as he read the e-mail, his expression quickly changed from indifference to complete shock.

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**Let's leave you at that for now. I'm actually making progress with this fanfic, it's amazing. Glad you're keeping up! See you in a bit!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **No one will mind that Cloud is a little…

**A/N: **Don't spoil it! Let them find out on their own! Okay? Good! Let's go!

**Chapter Eight: Swim Day **

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Cloud stood outside sachoo's office, hesitating slightly as he held his hand on the doorknob. His mind was still on that e-mail he received from sachoo…

**Flashback…about 25 minutes ago…**

Cloud reread the e-mail many times, quite sure he had misread the e-mail. But there was no mistaking it.

**_To: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com  
From: shinra (underscore) electric (underscore) company (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com  
_**

**_Cloud Strife,_**

_**It has come to my attention that you're quite useful an powerful in combat. As such, I request a meeting with you prior to lunchtime. I heard that you've sustained serious injury, but do try to make it on time. We have a great deal to discuss regarding your promotion. You've earned a higher rank in SOLDIER, so we'll discuss your options. Don't forget to come.**_

_**All the best,**_

_**Sachoo no Shinra Company**_

**End flashback…**

Cloud removed his hand from the doorknob, backed away a few paces and stopped. _No, I can't leave,_ he told himself, and walked back to the door, but topped at the door. _Ooh, but I'm so scared…! I've heard nothing good about the sachoo so far… They say that behind a good company is always a bad tyrant…_

Cloud stood still as harsh and violent images crowded his mind about tyrant sachoos and evil people and sadists who like to cause pain to people…

"No, no!" he told himself firmly. "I have to go see sachoo because of the important meeting he discussed!" With a nod, Cloud opened the door to sachoo's office and entered the room.

The sachoo didn't look up from his desk. He was writing something down, and said to Cloud, "You're late, Strife."

"Uh… I am?" asked Cloud.

"Yes, five minutes late. Next time I call you to my office, I expect you to come here on time. I'm the sachoo of this company, and I don't have time to idle away. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," muttered Cloud, looking down at the ground. "What did you call me for?"

"Take a seat, Strife, and I'll tell you," said sachoo, looking up briefly. "Go on, pull up a chair."

Cloud nodded and did as he was told, sitting down in the seat across from sachoo. He looked down at his own hands, not facing the sachoo.

"Well, I asked you to come here for your promotion, right? Well, yes, Cloud, I'm upgrading your rank to first class SOLIDER."

"What!" asked Cloud. "For real? You were serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. You've done more then any new SOLIDER has done in a long time. You're powerful enough on your own, and your programs flawless."

"Program?" repeated Cloud.

"Meaning your profile," said sachoo airily. "You're in great shape and everything. All the qualities of a first class SOLDIER."

"But--but you can't make _me_ a first class SOLDIER!" exclaimed Cloud, looking up. "I haven't got any special qualities or anything like that…"

"Don't say that," disagreed sachoo. "You've all the qualities. Now, as a first class SOLDIER, you get access to most anywhere in Shinra, and you're equal rank to join the combat. It's special training for going out into the field for real work."

"…" said Cloud, looking down. "But I…"

"That is my final word, Strife," said sachoo curtly. "As of tomorrow, you're a fist class SOLDIER."

"Yes, sir," sighed Cloud.

"You're dismissed," said sachoo, waving a hand.

Cloud nodded, and left the room, closing the door, his head awhirl with thoughts. _First class SOLDIER…_ he thought to himself. _I'm a first class SOLDIER now…_ He walked down the stairs slowly, and as he made his way down to the cafeteria, he crashed into Zack. "Ouchie," he said.

"Oh, Cloud, there you are!" said Zack. "I was just about to go get you!"

"Were you?" asked Cloud, looking up at Zack.

"Yeah, I just got the news, and thought I'd tell you!" Zack seemed very excited about something.

"Well, whatever it is, spit it out," said Cloud as they entered Cloud's room.

"Tomorrow, all the SOLDIERs get a special day off to go to the pool! We're going swimming!" said Zack clapping his hands with childish glee.

Cloud stopped suddenly. "…swimming? We're going swimming?"

"Aren't you excited!" asked Zack, still acting childish, dancing around the room all giddy.

"...sure!" said Cloud, trying to smile. But the realization that they were going swimming reminded Cloud of this thing he had about…

Zack stopped in his giddy dancing, seeing Cloud's hesitation. "What's wrong? Don't you like swimming? Or is it that you can't swim?"

"No, I enjoy swimming, I can swim okay, it's just…" Cloud trailed off, staring at the floor awkwardly.

"Hmm…" said Zack, looking at Cloud closely. "You hydrophobic?"

"No," answered Cloud.

"Then whatever is the matter?" asked Zack, looking confused now.

"It's…nothing. You wouldn't understand…"

"Hmm… fair enough," said Zack, albeit confused still, and resumed his giddy dancing around the room. "We're going swimming, whee!"

Cloud sat on the bed, continuing to stare at the floor. _Swimming_, he thought. _That means that all the SOLDIERs will be swimming… or relaxing, or resting in the sun… with… no…_

"Cloud!" called Zack. "Hey, earth to Cloud!"

Cloud jumped in surprise and looked up. "Huh?"

"Are you bi?" asked Zack suddenly.

"Whoa!" Cloud gaped at Zack, and looked around and stood up. "You know? How-how did you know? Did Tifa e-mail you!"

"…" went Zack, giving Cloud a blank stare. "You mean… you are actually bi?"

Cloud went red, and looked down at the floor again. "No--No, that's not… that's not exactly…. Uh…"

"…in all my years of SOLDIER," said Zack slowly, "I have never seen a bisexual SOLDIER among our ranks… Never, not once!"

"…is that bad?" asked Cloud.

"Not bad, per se," said Zack. "Just unusual. It depends on how you think about it… Hm! Now that's an idea!" he exclaimed.

"What is?" asked Cloud.

"You can sleep with sachoo and earn yourself to vice president of Shinra Company!"

"WHAAA!" cried Cloud. "Never! I'm bi a little, not gay!"

"You mean you're still a virgin?" asked Zack with disbelief.

"Yes!" answered Cloud defiantly, glaring at the side of his bed feeling slightly flustered.

"Cool, so am I!" said Zack.

Cloud gave Zack a shifty-eyed look for a second, then sighed sadly. "Do you think I'm a freak?" asked Cloud sadly.

"No, you're perfect, remember?" asked Zack. He blinked. "But, I'm not…" He gave a shuddering gasp. "I'll never be perfect…"

"Oh, Zack, don't say that," said Cloud, looking at Zack in the eye. "I think you're the best person I have ever met! Really!"

"Really?" asked Zack sheepishly.

Cloud nodded. "Exactly!"

"Oh, so the reason you didn't look forward to swimming was because of the bi thing," said Zack, returning to the subject. Cloud nodded again. "Well, just try not to loom at anyone, and you'll be just fine!"

"But what about you?" asked Cloud fretfully.

"Huh? What about me?" asked Zack. "Unless you have some attraction to me!" asked Zack in shock.

"Wha--No, no I don't!" exclaimed Cloud, an exclamation in complete contrast to the redness of his face. "You--I see you as a friend! Really!"

"Really?" asked Zack.

'Yes, just a friend, that's all!" said Cloud quickly, a little too quickly.

Zack stared at Cloud for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Okay, I believe you!" he said cheerfully. "Whee, swimming!" he said cheerfully, twirling in circles around Cloud's room.

"Do try not to knock anything over," said Cloud with a sigh, glancing out the window. _Zack seems to be taking the fact that I'm bi pretty well…_ he thought to himself. He went red again. _I suppose that means that he's okay with…_

CRASH

Cloud jumped and whirled around. "Zack!"

Zack was looked at a chair he had just knocked over. "Sorry, I'll get you a new one," he promised.

"That's okay, I'll fix it later," said Cloud, looking back out the window again.

"Tifa know you're bi?" asked Zack suddenly. It appeared that he had this bad habit of dropping unexpected questions like that often.

"Of course she knows!" said Cloud defensively.

"And she's okay with that?"

"She never said she minded that I'm bi, mind you!" said Cloud in the same defensive tone. "Why does everyone make a big deal out of bi people?"

"I don't," said Zack. "I was just asking. Forgive me."

Cloud sighed. "I'm sorry… Uh, when were we leaving again?" he asked.

"Tomorrow," reminded Zack.

"Right…"

"Where were you, anyway? Why were you all spaced out when you crashed into me? Did you go see the doctor? Or were you snooping around places?"

"…I saw sachoo. He set a meeting with me, and…"

"And?" prompted Zack.

"He promoted me to first class SOLDIER," finished Cloud.

"…he did what!" asked Zack. "He promoted you!" Cloud nodded silently. "Why? Did he give a reason why?"

"He said that I was good in combat and said that I was good for field training. How many other first class SOLDIERs are there?"

"About 63.. 64 including you now…" Zack sat down next to Cloud. "Wow, you're the same rank as I now! We're both first class SOLDIERs now!"

"You're first class too?" asked Cloud. "I didn't know."

"I never told you?" asked Zack. "Huh. Well, cool, were' the same rank now! This is pretty cool!"

"I guess…" said Cloud.

"Well, let's go down and see our Chocobo! I decided that I'll ditch lessons with you! Let's go!" said Zack, standing up.

"Is that okay?" asked Cloud. "I don't want you to get into trouble because of me."

"They won't even know we're gone!" said Zack, pulling cloud off the bed. "Besides, you need peace and relaxation! And you can get that around Chocobo. Let's go!" Zack took hold of Cloud's hand and led him out the door down the stairs outside Shinra to the Chocobo garden.

Cloud felt a newer elated happiness that day that had nothing to do with the Chocobo as he watched Zack take care of his own Chocobo…

**The next day…**

"All right, is everyone ready?" barked the voice of Bruce. He was walking among the rows of SOLDIERs who were going swimming. A few SOLDIERS were staying behind; to Cloud's slight disappointment, Sephiroth was among those who were staying.

_I wouldn't mind seeing Sephy with us_, he thought sadly.

"We're leaving now!" barked Bruce. "Get into the vans now, we're leaving for the swimming pool!"

"Where's the swimming pool located?" asked Cloud as he and Zack got into the backseat of the same van.

"Uhm, like a few miles way," said Zack. "I don't know the exact distance, but its far enough for us to take vans there."

"Okay…" said Cloud, looking out the window.

"Let's turn the radio on!" yelled one of Zack's friends from the front seat. "Let's see…" he flipped the radio on.

**(Sean Paul's "Temperature" starts blaring on the speakers)**

Cloud blushed slightly. _what a song to play around me!_ he thought, staring out the window.

"Hey, when do we start stripping?" asked another SOLDIER.

"When we get there," answered another SOLDIER from the drivers seat.

"Okay…"

Cloud blushed again._ What a word to use around me!_ he thought.

Zack stared at Cloud weirdly, the shrugged. "So, which pool we going to?"

"OOH! PCD!" yelled the SOLDIER who turned the radio on.

**(The Pussy Cat Doll's "Dontcha?" starts blaring on the speakers)**

"Yeah! It's the sexy Pussy Cat Dolls!" yelled a SOLDIER.

"That doesn't explain which pool we're going to!" said the SOLDIER.

"Oh, uh, I have no idea."

"We're following the other vans, so I guess we'll find out," said the other SOLDIER musingly.

"How long does it take to get there?" asked Cloud as the song continued to blare through the radio.

"Uh, about an hour. Maybe two hours," answered Zack.

"Did everyone bring their shorts?" asked the SOLDIER driving the van.

"Yeah," chorused all the SOLDIERs except Cloud, who was looking slightly abashed.

Zack was mouthing along with "Dontcha" "Dontcha wish your girlfriend was HOT like me, yeah!" he hissed.

"Yeah!" yelled the SOLDIER who turned the radio on.

**(The Pussy Cat Doll's "Beep" starts blaring on the speakers)**

Cloud reddened again. _What a song title!_ he thought, staring out the window. _Never before have I been so surrounded by so many guys…!_

Zack stared at Cloud weirdly again, and started mouthing along with "Beep". "Ahhh…" he hisses with the girls.

Zack's two SOLDIER friends imitated the beep sounds in the song.

Cloud closed his eyes. _Maybe I can sleep the whole way there…_

"Let's turn the bass on!" yelled the SOLDIER who turned the radio on, flipping the bass on to full strength. The bass echoed loudly in the van, making the walls jitter.

Cloud heaved a sigh, opening his eyes. _I guess not…_

"Come off it, we need a change of pace," said the SOLDIER driving the van, and changed the radio station.

**(James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" starts blaring on the speakers)**

"No, it's almost over!"

Cloud growled inwardly, and yelled, "Hey, are we there yet!"

All the SOLDIERs gasped and stared at Cloud in astonishment.

**(Ne-yo's "So Sick" starts playing in the background)**

Cloud coughed. "Sorry… It's just so hot in here, I can't think clearly."

"Here, I'll fix that," said Zack casually, reaching over Cloud to open his window. "There you go!"

"Th-thanks," stammered Cloud.

"No problem," said Zack cheerfully, leaning back in his seat. Cloud sighed for the umpteenth time, and looked out the window.

**One hour later…**

"YAY! WE'RE HERE!" yelled the SOLDIERs in joy, expect Cloud, who was looking abashed again.

"Let's get changed and go swimming! Today's your day!" yelled Bruce, and started a stampede to the dressing room.

Cloud walked slowly to the dressing room trailing behind everyone. _Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm, _he told himself frantically as a SOLDIER turned a portable radio on.

**(Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot" starts playing)**

Cloud stopped, and shook his head. _What a song to play!_ he thought as he slunk into the back of the dressing room, not looking at anyone, just sitting in the corner.

Zack looked around, and spotted Cloud. "Cloud, what are you doing on the ground?"

"…I fell over," he muttered, sitting up ._Dear lord, Zack's shirt is _off_! It's off!_

"Hurry on, Cloud, I'll be waiting by the pool!" Zack hurried out with the rest of the SOLDIERs, and Cloud realized that he was the only one left in the dressing room.

Cloud stood rooted for a second. _I can't do this!_ he thought frantically as he changed into the shorts and hurried out with everyone.

"Cloud! Over here!" called Zack, waving him to come over. "Here's a good spot to swim!"

"Ok-Okay!" called Cloud, hurrying to Zack, taking care to not look at anyone. "Let's swim now!"

"Sure," answered Zack.

**(Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty" starts playing on the radio)**

Cloud fell over anime-style into the pool. _What--what kind of song is_ that! He thought.

"Hey, Cloud, you sunburn easily or something?" asked one of Zack's friends. "You're all red in the face."

"It's--It's nothing," stammered Cloud, waving a hand while laughing nervously. "Let's swim on!"

"Sure, okay!" agreed the other SOLIDER, as Zack jumped into the pool too.

Cloud stayed still for a second, listening to the next song.

**(Natasha Bedingfield's "Single" starts playing on the radio)**

_I don't like being single,_ though Cloud to himself. _I'd like to date someone one day…_

"Oi, Cloud! Are you gonna stand there spaced out all day or what! Come on and swim!"

"Oh, right!" said Cloud loudly, and hurried to go swim with his friends. _Well… at least I don't ache anywhere anymore,_ thought Cloud as he swam with the others. _I should just loose up and have fun… We'll be here all day… Okay, I'll do that!_ said Cloud to himself. He reached one end of the pool, taking a rest. _What could go wrong?_

A shadow came across Cloud.

**(Nick Lachey's "What's Left of Me" starts playing in the background)**

Cloud blinked curiously, and looked up to see a fully-dressed Sephiroth looked down at him. "I thought you'd be here," said Sephiroth. "I came to warn you that after you come back, we're fighting again. I wanted to see you really at work. So when you get back from the swimming trip. Go strait to me, okay? I'll be waiting you-know-where." Sephiroth turned heel and walked off.

_He…Sephy came all the way out here just to tell me that?_ asked Cloud to himself. _Why would Sephy do that…? And why in earth does he want to fight me again…? Isn't defeating me once fine with him?_

Sephiroth stopped, and turned to Zack, who had climbed out of the pool for a few seconds. He leaned over to Zack's ear and whispered something to his ear. He continued to walk off, leaving Zack stare in shock after Sephiroth.

Cloud didn't miss that. _I wonder what Sephy said to Zack…? I'll find out later on today, I guess…_

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**Ooh. I love doing things like this. Battle scene ahead! Glee! -dances around all giddy- I love battle scenes! Anyway, I hope you're still following this fanfic! And I hope you don't mind the slight shonen-ai ahead. I can't stand it, I love shonen-ai. So bear with me for a while, and if you dislike that sort of thing, then kindly don't read this fanfic. Anyway, see you in a bit! Oh, and the song thing was because I was listening to the radio at the time, and heard those songs play... Sorry about that.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **It's Fairy Red's wild philosophy about battle scenes. You can't have battle scenes without blood. She's crazy like that.

**A/N: **It's not gonna be bloody! Geez! You make me sound like a sadistically demented battle scene writer!  
**Mario: **Because you are, Fairy Red.  
**Kazooie: **True that! Who else loves battle scenes the best? Who was it that loves the fighting in "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children"?  
**Yami: **Why goes "wow, Kadaj screaming in anguish" at the part when Kadaj goes "oka-san!" and screams in anguish?  
**Nana: **And who loves the part when Cloud is fighting against Sephiroth and goes "wow, Cloud in pain" when Cloud gets stabbed in the shoulder?  
**Chikara: **Yeah, and who thinks all the guys she likes look hotter when they're in pain?  
**Me: **…me?  
**Muses: **Yes!  
**Me: **…-makes shifty eyes- so what? It doesn't matter, let's just continue!  
**Muses: **Okay!  
**Me: **Okay! Here we go!

**Chapter Nine: The Fair and Square Battle**  
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It was 7:30 that evening, and they were getting back to Shinra. "That was soo much fun!" yelled the SOLDIERs as they all walked back into Shinra.

Cloud sighed, waling towards the end of the group with Zack and his two friends, lost in thought. _Another fight with Sephy today…_ he thought. _What a thing to look forward to during swimming time…but it can't be helped…_

"Cloud, come with me," said Zack. "We're supposed to meet Sephiroth after swimming time."

"I know, I saw Sephy talk to you about something. What did he say to you?"

"Uh… I'll explain in here," said Zack, motioning for Cloud to follow him into the dueling room. "Sephiroth wants another fight, under special conditions."

"Special conditions?" asked Cloud.

"Yeah…" Zack stopped, and turned around. "Cloud, what would you say if I told you that the last two battles you had with Sephiroth turned out that way because I had done an untested program on you on sachoo's orders?"

"…what?" asked Cloud.

"An untested program…the 'BERSERK' program. I've…been testing it on you, trying to improve it. Sachoo developed the program by himself, and he wanted it tested to see if it worked. So he chose you as the test subject."

Cloud stared at Zack in surprise. "You've been testing an untested program on me on sachoo's orders…?" He stared at the ground, the shock of this realization crashing over.

"Do… you don't hate me now, do you?" asked Zack with worry. "I didn't want to test it on you, really! But sachoo ordered me too, and anyone who goes against sachoo's orders is killed! Brutally!"

"I don't blame you," said Cloud quickly, looking up at Zack. "But why didn't you tell me about it? It would have been nice to at least hear about it."

"I was ordered not to tell anyone about it. But now that Sephiroth is asking me to use BERSERK on you to fight again, I felt I had to tell you."

"I understand," said Cloud quietly, looking down at the ground. "Really. Please don't feel bad for me…"

"Well, I'm glad you could make it!" interrupted another voice. Sephiroth had entered the room, looking rather murderous. "Well, Zack? Are you going to do the program now? I've been working on a move I'd like to use on someone. Someone strong."

"And you need the program to do so?" asked Zack.

"Yes, Zack. You'll see the move once you get in the spectator's seat and start the program."

Zack stopped for a few seconds, then sighed resignedly. "Okay, Sephiroth… Cloud, do your best, okay?" Zack trudged to the spectator seats, and sat down, opening his laptop. "Let me know when you're ready!" he called.

Sephiroth faced Cloud. "Okay, Cloud, draw your sword. This will be our third fight here if I'm not mistaken. Let us hope you and I last the whole battle."

"Sure…" said Cloud, pulling out his own sword. _I'll just fight him,_ decided Cloud, looking up at Zack. _Even if I do get afflicted by the BERSERK program, I'll fight… I won't try to back down in anyway…_ "Let's fight!"

**Up with Zack…**

Zack watched the battle from high up, deciding to see how Cloud does on his own rather then use the BERSERK program on him. _Let's just see how he does, rather then get Cloud riled up so early in the battle… Then again, I shouldn't use the BERSERK program at all…But then Sephiroth will notice I didn't use it…_

"Hey, Zack, what's going on?" asked one of Zack's friends.

"Ooh, a battle?" asked the other friend.

"Not you two," said Zack. "Stay away from the laptop! I want to see how Cloud does on his own for the whole battle!"

"You mean you're not gonna use the program?" asked on SOLDIER.

"No," answered Zack.

"Why not? Cloud's gonna be mauled without any help from you. Sephiroth's too strong for anyone to fight. How can you expect Cloud to fight Sephiroth on his own strength?"

"I expect it," said Zack stubbornly. "I refuse to use the program during this battle. I don't want another…another…Look, I don't want this to end in a bad way! I want this to be a fair and square fight! Let's see who the better of the two really is!"

"Meaning you don't want to see a bloody end to this battle!" teased one SOLDIER.

"Please don't use that word," groaned Zack in annoyance. "Look, if you came here to bug me, leave."

"But we wanted to see the fight," protested the other SOLDIER. "If you're allowed to watch, why can't we?"

Zack frowned at his friends, opened the laptop, clicked up his friends' programs, and typed up "is it lunchtime?".

The two friends exchanged glances. "Is it lunchtime?" they asked in unison. "Whee!" they took off to the cafeteria for lunch.

"That got rid of them," thought Zack with relief. "Hmm… I wonder how the battle's going…?" He glanced down at the battle. "…yeah, it's doing a great job so far."

**Down at the battle…**

Cloud wasn't a good fighter, but he made up for that with quick parrying and dodging; Sephiroth, on the other hand, was an excellent fighter, attacking swiftly and quickly, barely leaving Cloud an opening to attack. "What, is that all you got?" taunted Sephiroth. "You'll never get far if you just hide all your life!"

"I defend because I can't attack you like this!" Cloud said, dodging yet another attack and blocking the other attack quickly. "You're too fast!"

"You have to be brave when attacking!" said Sephiroth. He attacked again, the two swords clashing against each other with a loud clang. "Don't wait for an opening, you have to get aggressive!"

"I can't get aggressive!" protested Cloud. "I don't like fighting all the time!"

"Then you won't get far in SOLDIER!" said Sephiroth. He smirked to himself, and whirled around quickly, getting his hair all into Cloud's face, distracting him. He the faced Cloud again and whacked him away, the sword being knocked from Cloud's hand.

"Ouchie!" cried Cloud as he hit the wall. He looked up to see Sephiroth coming at him. He quickly pulled out sword number two and defended with that.

"That's not all I have up my sleeve," said Sephiroth. He jumped back kicking Cloud's first sword towards him. "Go on, combine those swords. Let me see their true strength."

Cloud scowled at Sephiroth, standing up. "Fine, I will," he said, giving Sephiroth the blue-eyed-pouty-look, and he combined swords one and two. "Let's continue! It's easier to combine the blades during the heat of battle!"

"Heh," snickered Sephiroth. "If you wish it." He jumped high again, and charge down at Cloud.

Cloud parried the attack, and pulled out sword number three to block the recoil move from Sephiroth. He attacked Sephiroth quickly with the combined blade and sword number three. Sephiroth blocked these easily and parried the third attack. Cloud recovered from the blow quickly, and combined sword three into the first two, and attacked again. Sephiroth parried the attack again, but was caught off guard by Cloud's sword number four. He put a hand on the wall to cushion the attack. "Hmm! So you can fight back!" he said. Cloud jumped away from Sephiroth, landed near the seats and combining swords four through six, and dodging as Sephiroth came to attack him again.

Now that the fighting was closer to Zack, he could keep a better eye on the battle. _Wow, Cloud does fight pretty good on his own,_ he thought in amazement. _I haven't typed anything to help Cloud at all, and he's fighting pretty good… He needs not my help… Uh, but what do I do if Sephiroth realizes that I haven't used BERSERK yet…? Ah, who says he'll find out?_

Sephiroth jumped away from Cloud's attack and glared over at Zack with a look that read "Why haven't you used BERSERK yet!".

_…okay, he did notice I didn't use BERSERK yet… But, I don't want to do it again…_

Sephiroth looked back at Cloud, who combined sword number seven in the mix, and attacked again. Sephiroth defended twice, and struck back, knocking Cloud away. Cloud landed on his feet, and combined the last blade together. Now their blades were evenly matched in power. They came at each other, both swords clashed against each other. Sephiroth showed no signs of exhaustion, but Cloud was another story; Sephiroth could see that he was starting to get worm out. _This is the perfect opportunity to just defeat him_, thought Sephiroth, looking over at Zack, who was still watching the battle. "Look, Cloud an idiot!" Sephiroth yelled suddenly, pointing at a random spot somewhere.

"Where?" asked Cloud looking over to where he pointed.

Sephiroth smiled to himself at Cloud's gullibility. _If Zack refuses to use the BERSERK program on him, then I'll go ahead and defeat Cloud fair and square! It'll make them off their guard for a while…_ Sephiroth tripped Cloud again, but instead of stabbing him, Sephiroth whacked Cloud away like one would a tennis ball or something.

"Ouchie!" cried Cloud as he hit the wall. His sword was a few feet away from him. _Oh, no, I'm defeated now..!_ thought Cloud. _Unless Zack's gonna do the berserk again… _Cloud looked up at Zack, who was waving a white flag, indicating that Cloud should admit defeat.

Sephiroth landed in front of Cloud. "Well, Cloud?" he asked. "Need I ask again? It appears that Zack isn't going to use BERSERK on you. You can't win now."

"You cheater," muttered Cloud, looking up at Sephiroth. "But nonetheless… I… admit defeat…"

Sephiroth sighed. "You're no fun," he sighed, sheathing his own sword. "But you admitted defeat; even I have a sense of honor like that." He held out a hand with caring eyes. "Let me help you up." Cloud smiled, and reached for it, but Sephiroth quickly moved it, causing Cloud to fall onto his face. "Psych! Hah! You're gullible too!" Sephiroth turned away and walked off, laughing.

Cloud got to his knees, scowling after Sephiroth. "That meanie," he muttered to himself, standing up.

Zack jumped down and ran to Cloud. "Wow, Cloud, you fought brilliantly!" he said. "I expected that much from you! You're pretty good at fighting!"

"It was probably just luck," shrugged Cloud. "I dislike fighting…"

"Well, that's life," said Zack. "See, you're good on your own. You didn't need BERSERK to defeat Sephiroth. I think even Sephiroth knows that. Which is why he fights dirty around you. He can't play fairly sometimes."

"…you don't have to put it like that," muttered Cloud, sheathing the sword.

"What, you mean using the words 'play' and 'dirty' in the same dialogue?" asked Zack curiously.

"Yeah…" muttered Cloud.

"Gasp! You don't like me, you like Sephiroth, don't you!"

Sephiroth stopped with one hand on the doorknob.

Cloud went red and shook his head. "No, that's--that's not it! Not at all!"

Sephiroth turned around slowly. "I didn't hear that," he said. "And you better make sure I don't hear it again."

"What, that Cloud likes you in _that_ way?" asked Zack.

Cloud glared at Zack. "Zack, do--don't! I don't like Sephiroth! Not in that way!" He looked over at Sephiroth. "Really!"

Sephiroth stared for a few seconds, and walked over to Cloud. "You don't have to lie," he said. "If you like me, say so. Just get used to disappointment if I say I don't like you back."

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, and stared at his feet. "Uh… Actually, there's someone else I like…" he said slowly.

"Someone else?" asked Sephiroth.

"Who?" asked Zack.

Cloud looked down at the ground. _How can I tell them both that I like…?_ "I don't feel like telling anyone right now…"

"Is it Tifa? I'll understand if it's Tifa," said Zack.

"Tifa? The girl Cloud mentioned?" asked Sephiroth.

Cloud hesitated. _I like Tifa, but the way I feel for… the way I feel now is much different then the way I feel for Tifa…_ "Yeah, it's Tifa," mumbled Cloud.

"Oh! Then why are you so hesitant to tell us? You little shyster!" said Zack playfully, punching Cloud in a friendly way.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," assured Sephiroth. He looked down at Cloud again. "Cloud, Zack?" he asked.

"Yeah?" asked Zack.

"We're friends now, okay?" said Sephiroth without preamble. "You both have proved to have lots of nerve and strength. I admire that. Okay?"

"Sure!" said Zack as Cloud nodded slowly.

"Cloud…?" asked Sephiroth, looking at the blonde SOLDIER with puppy green eyes.

Cloud looked up. "Yes, Sephiroth…?" he asked.

Sephiroth stared down at Cloud with the puppy green eyes, and looked at Cloud's shirt. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at Cloud's shirt.

"Where?" asked Cloud, looking down at his shirt.

SMACK

Sephiroth had smacked Cloud's nose up with his hand. "Hah, hah!" he laughed loudly. "What's that!" he repeated with a laugh. "Where!" he repeated, walking away with laughter.

Cloud rubbed his nose with a scowl, and Zack laughed loudly too. "Well, I'm glad that settles things!" he said. "Things feel much better!"

Cloud smiled at Zack nodded. "That's true," he agreed. "Now the fighting can stop," he said.

_Au contraire, _thought Sephiroth with an evil grin as he opened the door. _The fighting has just begun…_

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**Not my usual standard of fighting scene, and not my usual standard of shonen-ai, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I hope you did too. This was a bit of a short chapter, I apologize. Next chapters will be longer then this, really. Keep here for the next installment of the fanfic, and don't forget to review! Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Whee, I love fanfic when they get upgraded often… Hey, this fanfic is as far as "TWW"! Sweet, this fanfic will be bigger then "The Wind Waker" soon!

**A/N: **Will it? -checks fanfic status- Cool. I just wish this fanfic would pull up as many reviews too... -sighs- anyway, let's carry on.

**Chapter Ten: Research and Daydreams **

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"We're halfway through the week!" cheered Zack. It was mid-morning the next day, and they were leaving the last class to go to go to the library for research. "And then after research, it'll be lunch time, and we get the rest of the day off!"

"We do?" asked Cloud.

"Yep! Wednesday and Saturday are half-days!" said Sephiroth. "A pretty reasonable schedule of you asked me."

"True that!" agreed Zack.

"So we're going to the library for research?" asked Cloud. "What do we research?"

"Oh, anything you like," replied Zack. "It's a free Wednesday, so we can research whatever we like!"

"What are you gonna research, Cloud?" asked Sephiroth. "I'm going to look up the different wars of all the worlds. What about you?"

"Uh… I don't know," admitted Cloud as the group walked to the library. _I was thinking about looking up Jenova, but… On second thought, maybe I shouldn't…_

"I'm at a wall too in my research," said Zack. "I don't know what to research next. I looked up everything I know about Chocobo…"

"Why not research Moogles next?" asked Cloud.

"…Yes!" agreed Zack. "I'll research Moogles! You're so smart, Cloud!"

"I'm--I'm not that brilliant," said Cloud shyly, looking down at the ground. "But thank you… that means a lot coming from you."

Sephiroth glanced at Cloud shrewdly, but he didn't say anything except, "We're here at the library."

Cloud looked around, and blinked in confusion. This place was greatly unlike any library he had ever seen before.

The library was three stories big; the first floor was like a that of a regular library, with numerous bookshelves crammed with books. There was a snug comfortable reading area in the center of the room. The second floor was something like a media center, with many recording devices and radio techs, all for recording and testing voices. There was even a few shelves with CDS on them, all containing voice recordings and songs. The third floor was chock full of many computers and flat-screens. The computers were all on and ready to go.

"This is an unusual library," commented Cloud, looking around. "This is my first time here…"

"Unusual? This is the most advanced library for the world!" said Zack. "In all the worlds! Many different people from other worlds come here to research. Shinra's library is the best!"

"Well, we have to research," said Sephiroth matter-of-factly. "I'll be upstairs on the third floor researching other-worldly wars and stuff. How about you, Zack?"

"I'll be on the second floor researching Moogle sounds! I want to speak the Moogle language, just like I speak the Chocobo language!" said Zack excitedly.

Cloud thought for a few minutes._ I'll research something…_"Okay, I'll think of something to research here on the ground floor," said Cloud. "Is that okay?"

"Sure," said Zack. "We'll meet here in about 2 hours, okay?"

"Okay," agreed Sephiroth, going up the stairs to the third floor while Zack went up to the second floor.

Cloud was left alone at the foot of the stairs. _I know what I'll research…_ thought Cloud, walking towards a bookshelf with many legends and myths and the like. _Ever since I heard that Sephy had a wing… I wanted to find out how… you could get…wings…_ Cloud pulled out a random book called "Winged Beings: A Collection of Legends". Intrigued, Cloud opened the book and read:

_Those with wings are considered to be angelic, ethereal, or even demonic, considering what kind of wings they have. Anyone with wings is revered to be godlike, being absolutely perfect in everything that they do._

_The usual standard of wings are feathery and white, with a wingspan of about 4-5 feet long. You can will them to come out on your own, or they come out when needed. There are many races of winged beings, all with different styles of flying and wings. This book explains all the different winged folks of the different worlds._

_Chapter One: The Wings of the Atlantis People on Gaea.  
Chapter Two: The Rito and their Wings  
Chapter Three: Ah! The Wings of Goddesses  
Chapter Four: Angels Against the Gods  
Chapter Five: Angelic Layers  
Chapter Six: Angel Police and Galaxy Angels  
Chapter Seven: The Yukes Wings-Flyable or Not?  
Chapter Eight: Cute Round Wings  
Chapter Nine: Demon Wings  
Chapter Ten: The Earth Angels Who Fled To The Sky  
Chapter Eleven: Winged Caps and Capes  
Chapter Twelve: God-how He made Angels_

Cloud blinked. "Interesting…" He flipped open to the first chapter.

_The winged people of Atlantis, a.k.a Gaea, were considered demonic and evil by the common folk, but in truth, they were a peaceful and advanced civilization. You are born with your wings, but you have to mature them as well as yourself. When you master the ability to fly, you can easily camouflage with your surroundings when you fly. All though the wings can't be given; you have to be born with them._

Cloud blinked again. "Oh, Atlantis people can fly… I wonder what world the Atlantians live in..?" He flipped to the end of the chapter, and read aloud, "Hmm… 'the Atlantians come from the world of Escaflowne'… Escaflowne. That's a pretty world name." Cloud flipped to the next chapter.

_The Rito-jin are a curious race of winged elves. Unlike other wined tribes, in which the wings come from their back, their arms become their wings when they fly. Capable of flying long distances, the Rito-jin are proud mail-carriers in the ocean called "The Great Sea". The Rito-jin are very distinguished from other elves: they have dark skin and red eyes, with white and brown hair. Their noses are that of beaks rather then regular noses, and are quite useful as javelins sometimes. One such Rito was named Medli, and she had the sharpest beak of all the Rito-jin; sharper then that of the Rito chief!_

"Hmm… Rito-jin," repeated Cloud to himself, going to the end of the chapter to see that the Rito were from a world-within-a-world called "The Great Sea", that was within the world of "Hyrule". "Cool," he said, flipping to the next chapter.

_There are three main Goddesses in this realm. They were sent to Earth to help a man in collage to help his education. The Goddesses each represented something: one represented the past, one represented the present, and the last represented the future. The Goddess that represented the present had a more important mission: her planet was under attack, so she went down to earth to find someone who could help her. Her wings were beautiful and white; they could fly incredible distances and never be tired._

Cloud raised an eyebrow and flipped to the end of the chapter. "That's an odd world name… 'Ah! Megami-Sama'? Huh…"

Cloud flipped through the whole book, and put it back. "That doesn't tell me how I can get my own wings," he said, taking another book entitled "Wings, And Why You Should Grow Some!".

_You've always wanted wings. Don't deny it, everyone who has ever heard of wings always wanted some. That is why I am here to tell you how to grow wings!_

Really intrigued, Cloud opened the book to the first part.

_Growing wings is really simple! First you have to…_

The book then went on into a huge scientific discussion about growing wings that it gave cloud a headache. He put it back. "That was…boring," he said. Cloud was about to take another book when he saw the title of another book. It was called "The Know-It-All Book". "That's in the wrong section," muttered Cloud, picking it up. He dropped it. "Oops…" Cloud bent down to pick it up, but he saw the first words on the page.

**Cloud Strife! Yoo-hoo, read this book!**

Cloud paused. _Is… Did that book just say my name?_

**That's right, Cloud, I did! Pick me up, and I'll tell you what you have to do to get wings! It's not complicated at all! It's all in your genes! Trust me, I know everything!**

Cloud hesitated for a second, and picked the book up, flipping to the next page of the book.

**Good! Now we're getting acquainted! So, first things first, get comfortable, we're gonna be together for quite awhile!**

Cloud took the book and found a comfy seat in the middle of the library. He curled upon the sofa and opened to the next page.

**Comfortable? You feeling all snug and warm? Good! Now, all you have to do to get wings is fix your genetic programming! If you go upstairs to where Zack is right now, you'll see his laptop there. You can go fix your programming yourself right now if you wanted!**

"I can't do that," Cloud whispered to the book, knowing that you shouldn't talk loud in a library. "I have no experience in programming."

**Then wait for the end of the lesson, and have Zack change it for you.**

"No!" hissed Cloud. "I can't do that! He'd laugh at me!"

**Oh, he would, wouldn't he? Ah, well, that sucks…Uh, then tell him about it, and make those puppy-pouty-blue-eyed look you do to get your way, and you'll get wings! Aren't you lucky?**

"Will it be that easy?" asked Cloud.

**Easy? I never said easy. **

"Huh? But, you said…?"

**No, no, no, I said it wasn't going to be complicated. That doesn't mean that I said it was going to be easy.**

Cloud sighed. "Okay…"

**2 hours later…**

"Yay! The rest of today is off!" cheered Zack as he led Sephiroth and Cloud out of the library. "And I learned how to say 'hello' in the Moogle language," announced Zack proudly.

"It took you a whole two hours to learn it?" asked Sephiroth.

"Hey, the language is pretty complicated," retorted Zack. "Can _you_ say 'hello' in the Moogle language?"

"Kupo Ku," said Sephiroth.

Zack gave Sephiroth the shifty-eyes. "Huh. I forgot, 'Moogle' is one of the fifty-eight languages you can speak."

"What about you, Cloud?" asked Sephiroth, ignoring Zack's mutterings.

"I…just read random books," muttered Cloud. "I couldn't find anything to research."

"Hmm… if you say so. I wonder what's for lunch?" asked Sephiroth.

"It smells like… steamed corn and stuffing! Whee!" Zack charged into the cafeteria.

"Zack's very cheerful today," remarked Cloud. "I wonder what got him in such a good mood?"

"We get to leave Shinra this weekend and go back to our hometowns or whatever, or go off to visit whom we like."

"Eh? We're leaving Shinra this weekend?"

"Yep. For first-class SOLDIERs. I plan on going to Midgar, how about you? You gonna go to your hometown?"

"Uh…maybe. It depends on where Tifa goes. She said she might visit Midgar when I go to Shinra, so she might be there… I'll check my e-mail later." Cloud sat down next to Zack. "So, is it ready yet? Lunch, I mean."

"Nearly," answered Zack, looking towards the serving table. "Over steamed corn and stuffing!"

"Cloud notices that you're really cheerful," said Sephiroth.

"Cause I'm!" said Zack cheerfully. "We're going to leave Shinra for this weekend, and I'm gonna go to Midgar!"

"You are? So is Sephiroth," answered Cloud. "I might too, but that depends son where Tifa's going…"

"Why?" asked Zack.

"It'd be nice to see Tifa again," said Cloud. "But if she's moved to Midgar, I'd want to know…"

"Why don't you check your e-mail now?" asked Zack. "Here, I'll let you borrow my laptop."

"Thanks," said Cloud.

"If we go to Midgar together, what are we gong to do? I'll be doing my usual, just exploring and training, what about you two?"

"Uh, same old same old," said Zack. "I'm gonna go see my friend!"

"The one you mentioned once?" asked Cloud. "What was her name, I never got her name."

"Her name is Aeris! Aeris Gainsborough! She's a Cetra, and the last one at that! But shh, you didn't hear it form me," whispered Zack.

"Shinra has been trying to pursue her for a while, but it seems that they've given up. Aeris is very hard to find," said Sephiroth.

"Why would Shinra want to catch Aeris?" asked Cloud curiously. "And what's a Cetra?"

"To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea," laughed Zack. "She wouldn't tell me when I asked her. She would prefer not to go into detail about the Cetra. Which is sad, cause I wanna know. I don't know much about the Cetra, or why Shinra wanted her, but I guess I'll find out later."

"Okay…" said Cloud.

"Ooh, lunch is served!" said Zack happily. "I'll get you guys lunch, okay!" Zack stood up and hurried off to the serving table without awaiting an answer.

"..he likes Aeris?" asked Cloud. He saddened slightly. _That's right, he said that his girlfriend was Aeris… so he wouldn't like me like I do him anyway…_

Sephiroth stared at Cloud weirdly. "What do you care if Zack likes Aeris?" he asked. Cloud stared up at him. Was that a shrewd gleam in Sephiroth's eyes?

"I don't care if Zack likes someone," said Cloud. "He can like whomever he likes…"

"Okay…" said Sephiroth in an unconvinced voice as Zack came back with three plates.

'You guys don't mind if my two friends join us, do you?" asked Zack.

"Hey, Cloud!" said one SOLIDER cheerfully.

"And look! Sephiroth's joined you too! Amazing," cried the other SOLDIER.

"This is just temporary," said Sephiroth. "I need to foster friendships like this…"

"If you say so," said the other SOLDIER.

"Aren't you gonna check your e-mail?" asked Zack.

"…! Oh, right, thanks," said Cloud. He opened Zack's laptop and saw that Zack had a lot of files. _Wow, I wonder what he does with these,_ thought Cloud as he looked at the screen. _The whole desktop is covered in files… _he shrugged it off and opened the e-mail, and checked his e-mail. He had one unread message from Tifa.

**_To: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**  
_**From: fist (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**Lol, if you want chocolate, just say so! I'll send you as much chocolate as you want! You're so cute like that sometimes, when you act so childish in wanting chocolate. But remember to share with your new friend. He probably like chocolate too if he reminds me of you. :3**_

_**Cloud, remember to tell me if anything goes wrong! I still have this feeling that something will happen… I've been having that feeling ever since you left for Shinra. But I'm sure it's just me. Whatever's going on in your life, you'll be fine. I know it. Don't ever change! And always eat your greens!**_

_**Tifa Lockhart**_

Cloud smiled to himself. "Eat your greens," he repeated to himself, pointing to the screen. Cloud typed up a response quickly.

**_To: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**  
_**From: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**I'm fine, Tifa. Really. And I eat my greens. You need not worry, I have friends here to do that.**_

_**Also, we get to leave Shinra this weekend. I was wondering if you were going to be in Nibelheim, or if you were really going to Midgar like you said you would. I'm not sure. So tell me whee you'll be, okay, so I can see you this weekend! I can't wait to see you! Cloud Strife**_

Cloud signed out andslid the laptop back to Zack. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem," said Zack cheerfully with a full mouth.

Cloud ate the corn and stuffing, and stood up. "I'll be out visiting Kumo. I'll see you later?"

"Sure," said Zack. "I'm gonna go get seconds!" he and his two friends joined him.

Sephiroth stood up too and said, "Knock yourself out, I'm gonna go enjoy the rest of my libre."

"Libre?" asked Cloud.

"Yes, my libre… my break time today." Sephiroth walked away with a wave of his hand.

Cloud blinked. "Libre," he repeated to himself. "That's cute." He walked outside Shinra and went to the Chocobo Garden. "Hey, Kumo!" he called cheerfully, running towards his Chocobo.

Kumo looked up with an excited caw and ran to Cloud.

"Kumo, it's weird," he said, sitting down next to Kumo. "You'd think the only one I could ever love was Tifa, right?"

"Caw," said Kumo.

"I know…" sighed Cloud. He leaned back in the grassy fields with a sigh, shielding his eyes from the sun, looking at the sky. "But now I… feel different…"

"Caw?" inquired Kumo, walking next to Cloud's face, giving him a curious peck.

"Yes, it's a great feeling, Kumo… I'm sure you'll understand when you're older…" Cloud smiled to the sky with a slight blush to his face. "Kumo," he said, stroking Kumo wit the other hand, "it really is a great feeling…"

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**Hem hem. I couldn't resist a bit of romantic daydreaming at the end of this chapter… Uh, glad you're still reading this if you're seeing this. You don't mind shonen-ai, do you? I got the idea of shonen-ai in this fanfic after this _really _hot picture with shonen-ai in it with Cloud, Zack, and Sephy in it… the pic was soo hot… -sighs dreamily- uh, yeah, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **I don't mind shonen-ai. Not that I'm gay myself.

**A/N: **Whee, I LOVE shonen-ai! I see nothing wrong with it! My eyes have been opened, and I LOVE it! Really! It's so cute and soo hot at the same time! -sighs dreamily- I'll show you the picture I found if you're interested. Anyway, let's continue.

**Chapter Eleven: Keep 'Em Rockin' In Midgar! Part One**  
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The first thing Cloud did Friday morning was check his e-mail. Yep, there was one unread e-mail from Tifa.

**_To: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**  
_**From: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**Yes, actually! I moved to Midgar yesterday! My uncle passed away and in his will he left me his old bar. Remember, the one he told me about? The 7th Heaven Bar. It's in Midgar, I'll meet you there! I can't wait to see you too:3 We'll have a great time!**_

_**Remember, Midgar is a dog-eat-dog world out there; you have to get them before they get you!**_

_**Tifa Lockhart**_

Cloud smiled to himself. "Tifa was always like that," he said. He typed a reply.

**_To: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**  
_**From: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com **_

_**I'll make sure to watch out for myself in Midgar. I can't wait to see you either! Cloud Strife**_

Cloud turned his laptop off and walked out of his room. He paced around his room, thinking to himself. _We're leaving soon… Zack said he'd meet me here at 7:00 AM… I got up at 6:00 AM…_

Someone knocked on the door. "Hey, Cloud, it's me!"

"Hah!" said Cloud happily. "I'm coming!" he opened the door to let Zack in. "Eh? What are you holding?"

Zack was carrying two boxes, one wide and anther small. "I decided to get you something to match your outfit! Here, look at these!" Zack set the boxes down on Cloud's table. "Here, open this box."

"You… got me a gift?" asked Cloud, blushing slightly as he sat down next to Zack. "Why?"

"Because you were complaining yesterday about your arms being overexposed to the sun, so I decided to get you something to accessorize your outfit to make it more… you!"

"That's thoughtful of you," said Cloud, taking the first smaller box. "What's in this box?"

"Open it," said Zack cheerfully.

"Okay…" said Cloud, opening the small box. Inside was an earring and a manly brooch. Each looked the same: a wolf-head with a ring through it. "Oh! What are these for?" asked Cloud.

"The earring matches mine," said Zack cheerfully. "I decided to give my other earring to you, so we wear matching earrings! It's a sign of best friendship!"

"Which ear do I wear it on?" asked Cloud.

"Wear it on your left, cause my earring is on the right ear. Here, I'll help you put it on!" offered Zack cheerfully, taking the earring, and pushing some of Cloud's side bangs aside to see the ear. "This'll sting a bit, but it won't hurt."

"Why, what are you gonna do?" asked Cloud, blushing slightly still.

"Oh, I'm gonna pierce it so you can fit the earring through… You're not allergic to silver, are you?" asked Zack.

"No, I'm not…"

"Good," said Zack, and pierced Cloud's ear with a heated needle.

"Kya!" yelled Cloud. "That-- What did you do?"

"I pierced your ear," explained Zack, now putting the earring into Cloud's pierced left ear. He pushed Cloud's side bangs back in front of Cloud's ear. "There, that earring fits you perfectly!"

Cloud raised a hand tentatively, feeling the earring. "This--this is yours?" he asked.

"Yep! And this little manly brooch, you stick it on your shoulder pad to decorate it more!" Zack picked it up and held it to Cloud's shoulder pad. "Yep, it'll suit you nicely!" Humming cheerfully, Zack applied the manly silver wolf head brooch to Cloud's shoulder pad. "It looks great on you!"

"A wolf head?" asked Cloud curiously, poking at the little ring.

"Yeah! I love wolves you know," said Zack. "I think they're the smartest, best animals in the world! Next to Chocobo and Moogle, of course."

"Of course," agreed Cloud with a smile. "So what's in the other box?"

"Something to make your outfit look better! As a first class SOLDIER, you can accessorize your outfit in anyway you like! And you were saying yesterday about how you wanted your outfit in a 'Goth' style, so I researched 'Goth' and decided the best outfit for you!"

Cloud stared curiously at Zack, and opened the second bigger box. It contained two black sheets of cloth. One was sewn like a sleeve, and the other was longer and folded. "What are these for, Zack?" asked Cloud.

"This is for your shoulder pad!" said Zack excitedly.

"Huh?"

"Here, I'll sew this on for ya," said Zack, pulling out a needle. "You'll look much better with a one-sleeved look to you!"

Cloud held out his arm as Zack sew the sleeve on to cloud's shoulder pad. "Is that it?" asked Cloud, looking at the sleeve fondly. "This looks great for me!"

"I know, doesn't it?" asked Zack. "Here, there's a whole outfit in here, change into it. It'll go with the one sleeve thing!"

"Ok-Okay," stammered cloud, taking the new outfit. "Thanks."

"I'll be waiting downstairs in the cafeteria," said Zack. "We have to grab our own lunch baggies!" Zack stood up and headed for the door. "You can show off your new outfit to Tifa too! Okay?" Zack waved and left the room.

Cloud stared at the closed door for a few seconds, then quickly changed into the new outfit. He looked himself from every angle in the mirror. "Hey, this is pretty good looking," he said. "Zack has good taste…" He fiddled with the sleeve for a few seconds and hurried out the room to the cafeteria. "Zack!" he called. "How does it look?"

Zack looked back. "Hey, that looks good on you! The Goth one-sleeve style really suits you!"

"It sure does," agreed one SOLDIER.

"Zack, you came up with the outfit yourself?" asked the other SOLDIER.

"Yep! I thought Cloud would be happier with a Goth style, so I took the liberty of making an outfit for Cloud!"

Cloud smiled shyly. "You didn't have to…"

"Ah, but I did!" said Zack. "Here you go, your lunch baggie! Let's go together!" Zack took Cloud's hand and called to his friends, "Come on!"

Cloud stared at Zack in amazement in an anime-daydream style, all dreamy-eyed and blushing. "Zack?" he asked as Zack led him to the vans.

Zack looked back with a smile. "Yep, we're going to Midgar together!" They arrived at the vans and got into the back of a van. "You can introduce me to Tifa, and I'll introduce you to Aeris," said Zack.

"Su-sure," stammered Cloud, looking down at the floor.

"Midgar, Midgar, Midgar," chanted Zack's SOLDIER friends.

"Luckily, we have a good radio to listen to, to make the trip seem shorter. Let's see…"

**(a really disturbing song starts blaring in the radio)**

"I love this song!" cheered the other SOLDIER.

Cloud stiffened slightly. _What..! No, not this again..!_ he thought. _I'll just fall asleep until we get there… _Cloud felt himself go red. _Maybe, I could lean on… No, I can't do that!_ thought Cloud, putting a hand on his cheek in embarrassed glee.

"Cloud, you okay?" asked one SOLDIER. "You're face is beet red."

"Wha…? No, it's not… I'm sorry," stammered Cloud.

"Hey, don't worry about it," said Zack. "If you want, you can go ahead and just sleep the whole way. We're gonna keep the radio on low volume and no bass and treble yo you'll be fine."

Cloud stared at Zack. "Va?" he asked in a Transylvanian accent. "You do dat, for me?" he asked, blushing.

'Yes…" said Zack. "You can even lean on my shoulder if you want!"

"Really…?" asked Cloud, looking down bashfully.

"Yeah, it's sore anyway. I need to apply pressure to it, so you'll do."

"Oh…" said Cloud in disappointment, then smile to himself. _Well, at least I get to lean on him_! He thought with glee, and scooted closer to Zack to lean on his shoulder, falling into an easy sleep.

"Hey, that's looking kinda gay," remarked a SOLDIER from a front seat.

"At least I'm not ACUTALLY gay!" retorted Zack.

"Oh, shut it," said the SOLIDER.

Zack smiled fondly at Cloud. "Besides, the way he acts sometimes, Cloud reminds me of a little kid. I want him to feel comforted and loved and cared for, like a kid should feel."

"Wow, that's deep, Zack," said one SOLDIER.

"You're good at poetry," admired the other SOLIDER.

"You fond of Cloud?" asked the SOLIDER from the front seat.

"Yeah," said Zack. He fluffed Cloud's hair. "Like a kid."

Cloud, his sleep, smiled in a way that suggested he didn't think "like a kid"…

**About 8 hours later…**

"Cloud! Wake up, we're here," said Zack.

"Huh?" asked Cloud.

"We're here, come on."

"Oh, okay…" Cloud hopped out of the van and looked around Midgar. "Huh… this is a nice city…" he remarked to himself.

"Cloud!" yelled a female voice.

Cloud looked around, and saw Tifa running towards him. "Ah! Tifa!" he called back, running towards her.

Tifa ran into Cloud and hugged him tightly. "Cloud, I missed you so much!" Tifa snuggled Cloud's face. "I've been wanting to see you for the longest time!"

Cloud smiled and hugged Tifa back. "I missed you too, Tifa!" he said. "It's excellent to see you again!"

Zack looked between them/ "Ah, is this Tifa?" he asked.

Tifa released Cloud and looked at Zack. "Whoa!" she said. "Is this Zack?" she asked Cloud.

"Yep!" Cloud pulled Zack closer. "Tifa, meet Zack! Zack, this us my best friend Tifa Lockhart!"

"Hey, Tifa, I heard a lot about you," said Zack, shaking Tifa's hand.

"I know, Cloud's told me a lot about you too!" said Tifa returning the handshake.

"Hey, while we have Tifa here, let's go see your bar!" said Zack. "Cloud told me that you have a bar!"

"Eh?" asked Cloud. "When did I tell you that?"

"You told me when you were in the Chocobo Garden, remember? When you were really happy."

"Oh, yeah," said Cloud. "Can we go see the 7th Heaven Bar, Tifa?" asked Cloud.

"Sure, although it won't be all party and happy. Today we're mourning the passing of my uncle."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Zack.

"It's okay," shrugged Tifa as she led Cloud and Zack to the 7th Heaven Bar. "My uncle was a good happy guy, he'll be happier to see us more… well, happy."

"…wait," said Cloud suddenly, "I thought your dad gave you the bar."

"Shh, shh!" shushed Tifa.

"It's your dad's bar, not your uncles?" asked Zack curiously.

"Of course it's my uncles!" said Tifa with a warning scowl at Cloud.

"Oh, right, sorry."

"Hey, can we see the bar too?" asked Zack's friends as the SOLDIER who drove the van shook his head and walked of in the direction of a luxury hotel.

"Go away, you two, this is between me and Cloud," said Zack.

The two SOLDIERs sighed dejectedly. "But…" they started.

"Don't you two have somewhere you need to be?" asked Zack, putting his hands on his hips. "Like a field or something?"

"Okay, Zack…" they chorused sadly, walking away.

Tifa watched them walk away. "Them two are leeches, huh?" she asked, pointing at them with her thumb.

"No, they're my best friends," said Zack. "But they have no sense of time. Anyway, let's go see your uncles bar!"

"Okay!" said Tifa cheerfully, running towards the city. "Follow me!"

Cloud and Zack followed Tifa towards the city. "Wow, there's so many people here!" yelled Cloud as they followed Tifa.

"What'd you expect, they call this Midgar a 'city'!" said Zack matter-of-factly.

"Ah! Here it is!" said Tifa. "Welcome to the 7th Heaven Bar!" she announced, opening the door.

Even though it was decorated black for mourning, none could deny that the 7th Heaven Bar was a good pace for a drink or two. There were many seats and tables strewn across the room in an organized manner, and a long bar at the end of the room. There was even a stage with a microphone on it with a sign that read "Karaoke Night-- Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!".

"This place isn't bad," commented Zack.

"That's my uncle's bar," said Tifa.

"He certainly had good taste," said Cloud. "And you're uncle left this all to you?"

"Yep! So from now on, I'm gonna take care of it! Even though I'm only 17 years old, I'm confident that I can run it good! I'll even hire a staff!"

"So she's younger then you," said Zack, giving Cloud a nudge. "You neglected to mention that."

"What are you talking about, I'm a year younger then she is," said Cloud. Forgetting that he lied about his age.

"No, she's be two years younger then you if you're nineteen… Unless…"

Cloud covered his mouth in shock. _Oh, no, the secrets out!_

"I knew it was no mistake on your profile!" said Zack, pointing at Cloud. "You _are_ sixteen!"

"You lied about your age?" asked Tifa. "Why would you do that?"

"Uh… it's a long story," muttered Cloud. "I… didn't want to seem to young or immature to join Shinra…"

"Dude, you could have told me about it," said Zack. "I don't mind if you're sixteen instead of nineteen."

"Well, enough about that," said Tifa. "Let's pay our respects to my uncle and then I'll give you a tour of the rest of the bar."

The three of them kneeled in front of a small altar upstairs in Tifa's room, and bowed their heads in respect.

"Uncle, I'll miss you," sighed Tifa sadly. "You were always a good friend, and great man to talk to. You were always a second father to me…"

"You must have been devastated to learn that he died," said Cloud.

"You bet," said Tifa. "I mean, he was one-of-a-kind. My soul mate practically. There's no one like him."

"Did you know him long?' asked Zack.

"Know who?" asked Tifa as she stood up.

Zack looked at Cloud curiously, who shrugged.

Suddenly, the door burst open. "God!" yelled Cloud in surprise.

Sephiroth stood there, giving Cloud a curious look. "No, just Sephiroth," he told Cloud reassuringly.

"You scared me!" exclaimed Cloud.

"Oh, Sephiroth, that's right!" said Zack. "Tifa, this is our other friend Sephiroth! He's the best-of-the-best SOLDIER in Shinra," he announce proudly.

"Whoo boy," said Tifa, looking up at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth decided to make a good entrance in front of Tifa. "_Enchanté, mademoiselle_," he said in perfect French, taking Tifa's hand and giving it a kiss like a gentlemen would.

Tifa laughed shyly. "Well, th-thank you," she said.

Cloud looked between Tifa and Sephiroth. _Is he trying to show off, or is he trying to do something?_ thought cloud with a slight jealous stab. _Because…Sephy is…_

Tifa cleared her throat noisily, and removed her hand from Sephiroth's hand. "Any--anyway," she stammered, "let me show you the rest of the bar! And then, we drink! To my uncle's memory!"  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
Well, that's a good cliffhanger for me. I think. But… DAMN! I want Sephy to kiss my hand too!  
Mario: **-under breath- and that's not all…  
**SHUT UP, MARIO! YOU WANNA DIE! HUH! HUH!  
Mario: **No.  
**THEN SHUT UP!  
Mario: **-leaves-  
**-cough cough- Anyway, let's proceed to chapter twelve all quick like, okay? See you in a bit!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **….twelve is a big number when it appears in the same sentence as "Fairy Red's fanfic".

**A/N: **I know, isn't it? Let's continue.

**Chapter Twelve: Keep 'Em Rockin' In Midgar! Part Two**  
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"…and this stage is for today, Saturday, and Sunday! Karaoke night is tonight, and people will be singing along with popular songs and dancing and having a grand old time!" Tifa was showing them around the bar, and was showing them the stage at the left end of the room.

"Who'd want to sing?" asked Cloud, looking at the stage apprehensively. "I wouldn't, I can't sing to save my life."

"I think you sing okay," said Tifa.

"What are you talking about? You were the one who said I sound like a dying Moogle when I sing."

"…oh, yeah!" said Tifa.

"I can sing," said Sephiroth. "Perfectly."

"Sure, _you_ can," said Zack with a frown. "I can't sing either… But I still enjoy it!" said Zack happily.

"Good," said Tifa, walking to behind the bar. "I want you three to serve as bartenders tonight."

"WHA!" went Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth at the same time.

"That's right!" said Tifa, smiling a bunny smile as she pulled out three bartending outfits. "You three will help me, yes?"

"But…" started Cloud. "Aren't we too young to be bartending!"

"I've been bartending ever since I was 10!" said Tifa proudly.

"You enjoy being a tavern wench?" asked Sephiroth, looking at the waiter outfit with a disgusted look.

Tifa glared at Sephiroth. "What is THAT supposed to mean!" she demanded.

"Oh, excuse me, I meant to say, do you enjoy serving people," Sephiroth corrected himself, giving Tifa a shifty eyed glare.

"Yes, I do!" answered Tifa defiantly, standing tall and proud with her arms akimbo. She smiled at Cloud and Zack. "You two will help me, right?"

"I will!" said Cloud happily, raising a hand.

"As I!" agreed Zack, rising his hand too.

"Well?" asked Tifa, turning a puppy-eyed face to Sephiroth. "Will you be a true gentlemen, and help me? I'm a damsel in distress right now… help me?"

Sephiroth sighed in exasperation. "Fine, fine," he said. "But one night only!" he called warningly over his shoulder as he trudged upstairs to go change.

"On your way then," said Tifa to Cloud and Zack. "I'll be waiting down here to get you ready to serve customers. The bar opens at 6:00 PM tonight, so I want you to know this bar like the back of your hand, okay?"

"Yes, Tifa," answered Cloud and Zack in unison.

"Okay!"

Cloud and Zack hurriedly followed Sephiroth upstairs to the room. Sephiroth was tying a red bowtie to his white shirt. "White's not my color," he grumbled to his own reflection.

"I think white suits you fine," said Cloud friendly.

Sephiroth glanced at Cloud and Zack in the mirror. "Well…" he said. "It can't be that bad, right?" he stood up, and brushed the apron off. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Sure…" said Zack. "I'll look cute in a waiter outfit!" said Zack cheerfully, holding the outfit out. "You change out here, I'll change in the closet," he told Cloud.

"Sure," said Cloud slowly.

He and Zack hurriedly changed into the waiter outfit, and both looked in front of the mirror. "You look soo cute," squealed Zack, putting his hands on Cloud's shoulders. "Look at you!"

Cloud blushed slightly. "Ah--ah! I'm not cute," he stammered.

"You are too," said Zack, tying a red bowtie to Cloud's waiter shirt. "Don't degrade yourself, you look cute!" He tied a red bowtie to his own shirt. "I look so formal now! I'd love for Aeris to see me like this!"

"Maybe you can invite Aeris to the bar?" suggested Cloud.

"Nah, she doesn't like bars and stuff," disagreed Zack. "Maybe I'll see her later. Like tomorrow! I'll introduce you to Aeris tomorrow. Let's go." Zack stood up and waked to the door, Cloud behind him.

"Okay, guys, let me explain the processes!" said Tifa when the three SOLDIERs assembled in front of Tifa. "You all go around and asking people what drinks they want. Then you have to bring them the drinks. If you do a good job. I'll serve you free drinks!"

"For the record, I'm old enough to drink," said Sephiroth, "but the other two will have to wait until they're of age."

"I can drink!" said Zack indignantly. "I'm of age!"

"How old are you?" asked Tifa curiously. "Cloud, I know your sixteen, but what about you two?"

"I'm twenty-five years old," answered Sephiroth.

"I'm twenty-one," said Zack with a scowl at Sephiroth.

Cloud blinked in surprise at this new piece of information. _He's twenty-one! Oh, no he's five years older then me…!_ thought Cloud with shock.

"Well, I'll serve you guys anyway!" said Tifa cheerfully, patting Cloud on the back. "I've been drinking ever since I was eight! One glass of wine every night!"

"Really?" asked Cloud. "I didn't know that…"

"Well, now you do," said Tifa, picking up a tray. "You know how to carry one of these with five or six drinks on them?"

"I can," said Sephiroth. "_I'm_ perfect, I can do anything and everything without a single flaw!"

"No fair," wailed Zack. "It's not fair, for you to constantly remind me if my imperfection!"

"You have no imperfections, and you know it!" said Cloud firmly. "It doesn't matter what you can or can't do! It's you that matter!"

"See, now Cloud can be nice," said Zack.

"Excuse me!" said Tifa loudly. "I want you to go around and practice taking and serving and carrying drinks around! It's much harder then it looks, even for perfect people!" Tifa thrusted the trays into the three SOLDIERs, and stalked to the back. "I'll guide you!"

The three sighed and listened as Tifa gave instructions on how to properly serve people to greeting people properly to drinking good and healthy. By the time it was 4:45 PM, they were ready to serve people.

"Now you all are perfect gentlemen!" said Tifa with glee.

"Whoop-de-do for me," said Sephiroth in a bored voice.

"Whee, I'm a perfect gentlemen!" said Zack.

"I'm glad I'll be able to help you," said Cloud.

"Now, you all have about one hour and fifteen minutes to get ready, so take a break if you like! I'll be upstairs if you need me!"

"Hey, Zack," said Cloud as Tifa went upstairs and Sephiroth went outside. "Can we go see Aeris now? Where does she live?"

"Sure, I guess we can," said Zack. "She lives at a church just a few blocks away from here. Go on without me real quick, I want to change into my SOLDIER outfit."

"Sure," said Cloud, and he walked outside and down two blocks. He stopped in front of tall impressive church. "Whoa…!" he gasped. "This church is huge…" He opened the door; the door squeaked loudly as it opened. Cloud left the door open and walked inside, looking around. "Wow, this is a beautiful church… Does Aeris really live here?" Cloud stopped at the center of the church, looking at a beautiful garden of lilies in front of him. "These are pretty…"

"Oh? I didn't know I had a visitor," said a woman's voice.

Cloud jumped and whirled around to see a light brown haired woman with green eyes. _This--this must be Aeris!_ thought Cloud in astonishment. "Uh… hello," he said.

"Hello," said Aeris. She walked into the light, and Cloud could see she was holding a watering can. "May I ask who you are?"

"Uh… I-- My name's Cloud. Cloud Strife."

"Cloud Strife?" repeated Aeris. With a smile, she shifted the position of the watering can so she could hold out a hand. "I'm Aeris Gainsborough. But you can call me Aeris."

"Ok-okay…" stammered Cloud, taking her hand and shaking it.

"You're a SOLDIER, aren't you?" asked Aeris, holding her watering can with both hands again. "Do you know if a SOLDIER named Zack is around in Midgar?" asked Aeris.

"Oh… I know who Zack is!" said Cloud excitedly. "He's a great friend of mine! I really, really look up to him!"

Aeris looked mildly surprised. "So I see you know Zack," she said with a knowing smile. "He's easily likeable, isn't he? Here," she said kindly, holding out the watering can. "Say hello to my plants as well!"

Cloud blushed suddenly. "Oh, you… Do you know I… that I… about Zack…"

"I'm not sure if it's that, but I sense a certain attachment coming from you. Whatever you feel for Zack is a really strong feeling. Is it the same way I feel for Zack?" she asked, sitting down on a bench.

"Uh…" started Cloud, looking down embarrassed. "I… yes, I think I like Zack a lot… A bit more then just friends…"

"Don't be embarrassed," said Aeris, giggling to herself. "I understand how you feel. But I'm not unduly worried, I know how it feels to have your heart broken. I won't cause you that agony."

Cloud stared in awe at Aeris. "You… You're so…"

Aeris smiled secretively, and gestured to her flowers. "Enough about me and you. The flowers deserve some love too. Go on, Cloud, water them."

Cloud stared at Aeris, and bent over the gardens, watering them with Aeris's watering can. To his surprise, some of the flowers squeaked in surprise and shook the water off, happily taking in the water as the droplets fell to the ground. He looked back at Aeris. "Ae--Aeris!" he said in surprise.

"Yes?" asked Aeris.

"The flowers…! They made a sound! I mean, when I watered them, they squeaked in surprise! They moved!"

"That's not unusual," said Aeris, looking slightly amused. "Didn't you know that flowers enjoy being watered?" she stood up and walked over to Cloud, taking her watering can back. "I think they like you," she said to Cloud.

"They like me?" asked Cloud, looking down at the flowers. They indeed seem to smile when they looked up at Cloud. He laughed to himself. "They--like me," he stammered.

"Cloud! Aeris! There you are!" called Zack. "I see you found the church!"

"Zack, it's good to see you again," said Aeris pleasantly. "I was showing Cloud the water garden," she explained, gesturing to the garden.

"Ah, surprised you too, huh?" asked Zack with a smile. "Surprised me first time too. Aeris has that power, she can make flowers look alive to anyone."

"Oh, it's no doing of mine," said Aeris modestly. "All plants have their own personalities; you just have to look close enough for it."

"Yeah, but you help us open our eyes to see it. That's your power, isn't it?" asked Zack, standing next to Aeris to admire the garden. "Your flowers are lovely by the way. As usual."

"All you need is to shower them with love and water every single day," said Aeris. "How many times have I told you that?" asked Aeris with a playful slap on Zack's shoulder.

"At last count, about seven times," retorted Zack, giving Aeris a playful slap on the shoulder in return.

Cloud looked up at the two, trying hard to not feel jealous. _Zack likes her,_ he reminded himself. _His happiness is your happiness…Don't be jealous of Aeris…_

Aeris did a double-take on Zack and Cloud's outfits. "Oh! You two are certainly dressed for the occasion! Are you going to a fancy party or something?"

"Oh--No, that's not it," said Zack hurriedly. "Uh… actually, we're going to serve at the bar, the 7th Heaven Bar."

"Oh," said Aeris.

"Uh… You want to come?" asked Zack.

"Oh, no, I don't like bars," said Aeris politely. "They're not to my style."

"Okay, then."

"So, you two gonna leave soon, or you gonna keep me company for a while?" asked Aeris.

"Oh, sorry Aeris, we can't stay long today, Tifa wants us to be there by 6:00, and she advised that we don't be late."

"We really wish we could stay, though!" added Cloud quickly.

"That's okay, I understand," said Aeris.

"We'll come back tomorrow," promised Zack. "We have to go now. Bye, Aeris!" said Zack cheerfully, waving to Aeris.

"See you later," she agreed, waving back.

"Bye," called Cloud over his shoulder. "So you decided to stay in your waiter outfit?" asked Cloud as he and Zack walked out of the church.

"Yeah, Tifa asked me what I was going to my room for and I said I was gonna change and she got angry and told me that it'd be best for me not to ruin the outfit by taking it off. She was so forceful about it I decided to just stay in the waiter outfit and go on ahead to meet you and Aeris. Speaking of Aeris, what did you think of her?" asked Zack curiously.

"Well…" started Cloud, looking back to see her. But she wasn't there. "! Zack, she's gone!"

"I know," answered Zack.

"Huh? But--she's not there, she disappeared or something!"

"She's a Cetra; she tells me that she does that sometimes. Aeris always told me that it was safer to hide."

"Oh…" said Cloud, looking back. "I see… Uh, well, I thought she was an okay person. She seems to know a lot about flowers, and she's very shrewd… I mean, she's good at reading people."

"I know that side of her," said Zack with a fond smile at the church.

Cloud sighed. "Well, we should get going," he said.

"Okay, let's go!"

**At 6:00 PM…**

"Okay, since tonight's Friday, I should tell you about my uncle; he started a service a long time ago called 'Three Beer Night'. The bar won't be very wild tonight because everyone is only served three drinks. Three drinks aren't enough to get you drunk. So you all can rest easy."

"How can a 'Free Beer Night' make us rest easy?" asked Zack. "They'll be demanding drinks left right and center…"

"No, it's 'Three Beer Night'," corrected Tifa, holding up three fingers. "Now let's get started!" Tifa opened the door, flipped the sign to "We're Open", and walked back to behind the bar. "Let's get ready!"

Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth sighed and got ready to serve the stream of customers.

"Hey, Tifa, heard about your uncle," called one person.

"Yeah, he was a good man."

"I know," said Tifa. "Come on in, and together we'll drink to his memory."

One by one people shuffled in. They all seemed to know Tifa, and Tifa seemed to know them.

"Well, now's our cue," said Sephiroth, and the three of them hurried around the customers, asking the for what they want and such.

Although it wasn't as easy as Tifa had anticipated. Soon, people were saying that they wanted more the three beers, and that a true drinking to her uncles memory would be more then three beers, and that they should have a whole big part over it. Within the space in an hour, the bar had become a great, wild, party place.

"Tifa, the people are wild!" called Cloud as he went back to behind the bar to Tifa. "It's getting really bad!"

"Well…" said Tifa nervously, "at least it's not too bad. People are having a grand time."

"At least no one's dead drunk," said Zack, coming to stand next to Tifa. "Cause there's always one drunk who ruins it for everyone!"

"One drunk?" asked Sephiroth, coming behind Tifa, and the foursome could see that the bar was starting to get restless.

"HEY, THAT'S MY BEER!" yelled one guy,

"NO, IT'S MINE! IT WAS ON MY TABLE!"

Tifa sighed. "I need to fix this somehow… Ah!" Tifa ran out to the stage and picked the mike up. "People, who's ready for karaoke time!"

"YAY!" cheered the bar.

"Here, I'll pass the mike around, and you all can take turns singing songs!"

"Whee!" cheered the bar, all of them taking the mike, all trying to sing along with the karaoke songs.

"Phew," sighed Tifa, sitting down at the bar. "That took care of the problem."

"What about our drinks?" asked Sephiroth. "Do we get some too?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," said Tifa absentmindedly. "Help yourselves, I'll be right back," said Tifa, pulling out a huge bottle of wine and trudging outside.

"Hey, this is a pretty good wine," commented Sephiroth, reading the label on the wine bottle. "Châteaux, '90! Wow, that's good!"

"You like the Chateaux? I didn't know that," said Zack. "Pour me a glass!"

"Sure, sure," said Sephiroth, pulling out three glasses.

"Who's the third glass for?" asked Cloud as Sephiroth filled every glass to the rim with crystal clear châteaux.

Sephiroth smirked an evil smirk. "Why, it's for you, Cloud!"

"Wha-- No, I don't drink," said Cloud hurriedly.

"There's a first time for everything," said Sephiroth matter-of-factly. "Take this, and drink it! Come on, I dare you!"

"No, really, I--I can't," stammered Cloud.

"Don't be such a big baby," scolded Sephiroth, taking Cloud's hand and putting the wineglass in it.

"Yeah, wine is great!" agreed Zack. "Lets share a toast together!" He held up his glass. "To freedom!"

"To freedom," agreed Sephiroth, lifting his own glass.

"…to--to freedom," said Cloud, lifting his own drink.

The three clinked their glasses together, and drank their wine glass quickly in one gulp.

"Aah!" sighed Zack. "That's some good stuff! Lets have some more!"

"No!" said Sephiroth, suddenly looking very serious as he put the wine bottle back. "Only one glass of ze Châteaux! Honestly, who taught you how to drink wine?"

"But, come on, Sephy!" said Zack. "Let us have just one more!"

"Fine, but not of ze Châteaux," said Sephiroth, putting the Châteaux away and pulling out regular red wine. "Let's drink this instead!"

"Cloud, how are you feeling?" asked Zack, looking at Cloud.

"That was really good!" said Cloud. "I'm ready to try other wines!"

"Okay!" agreed Sephiroth, pouring a generous amount of red wine into each of their glasses. "You know, I wonder why they call it wine, after a few glasses, you can't feel a thing, you can't taste anything!"

When Tifa came back about twenty minutes later, she saw Sephiroth was standing on the stage, singing along to a French song on the karaoke while the bar people cheered, and Zack and Cloud were on sitting at the bar drinking wine glass after wine glass. "What--what's going on here!" she demanded, running to Zack and Cloud. "What happened here!"

"Oh, we decided to keep the party going!" said Zack.

"And Cloud, what's wrong with Cloud!" demanded Tifa.

"Nothings wrong with me," said Cloud a little loudly. "I feel fine! I've had about fourteen of these wine glasses, and I don't feel a thing!"

"Okay, good, that very good, the I'll teach you a few defense movements, just in case any girl try to hit on you!"

"Okay!" said Cloud excitedly standing up.

Sephiroth was still singing in French:

"Don't leave without me, let me survive  
You who fly to other lives, let me live  
The blue of infinite, the joy of being free  
On rays on suns  
On songs on wonders  
and in a sky of love  
_Le bleu de l'infini la joie d'etre libre  
Vous qui cherchez une autre vie  
Vous qui volez vers l'an 2 000  
Ne partez pas sans moi_"

"Wait, Tifa, I want to try that too!" said Cloud, pointing at the stage.

Tifa sighed. "Sure, okay, let's wait for Sephiroth to be done…"

"The blue of the infinite, the joy of being free  
You who are looking for another life  
You who are flying towards the year 2, 000   
Don't leave without me," sang Sephiroth, at the last notes.

Everyone in the bar cheered loudly. "Who's next?" asked the crowd.

"Cloud is," announced Tifa.

"YAY!" cheered everyone as Cloud took the mike from Sephiroth.

"Here, sing this song," said Sephiroth, handing him a sheet of song lyrics in French.

"Okay!" said Cloud cheerfully, though he didn't know how to read French, much less speak it. He took a deep breath and belted out,

"_Matin solitaire  
Soleil a l'envers  
Mes jours s'endorment  
Quand tu t'en vas  
Murs de ma maison  
Pour seul horizon  
Un vide enorme  
Tombe sur moi  
Le temps qui balance  
Entre deux silences  
Le telephone  
Ne repond pas!"_

Though he sang terribly, the crowd still cheered loudly. That was proof positive that everyone was dead drunk. Tifa sighed wearily. "I was going to make this a SOBER bar…"

"Oh, well, at least Cloud's having a good time," said Zack. "See, he like singing." He winced. "Even though he sings like a dying Moogle…"

"I know," agreed Tifa sadly. "I'll just sit here and wait here for Cloud to come back."

"_Un soir? Un matin? Un hiver, une aube  
Un printemps qu'il choisira  
Rien, je n'en sais rien, je mets des lumieres  
Les nuits au bord des chemins_," finished Cloud.

"Good! Yay! We loved it!" cheered the crowd.

As someone else took the mike, Cloud jumped off the stage and ran to Tifa. "Tifa, okay now I'm ready for the defense lessons!"

"Okay!" said Tifa, standing up. "Okay, when some comes at you like this--" she trailed off as Cloud fell down in a faint. She sighed, "Zack, help me get him to the room."

"Sure!" said Zack, picking Cloud's feet up as Tifa picked Cloud up by the head and they carried Cloud upstairs to the guestroom. "Poor Cloud, I shouldn't have let him dink so much," he said apologetically.

"I guess Cloud can't hold his liquor in," said Tifa, putting a blanket over Cloud. "I can, I should have taught him to drink when I had the chance. But I was always around and near guys, he could rarely ever get to me. Our times together were pretty rare…"

"Oh," said Zack.

"Well, never mind, let's let him sleep it off here and you and I return to the bar before it gets completely out of hand!"

"God, that's a great idea," said Zack and he and Tifa hurried downstairs to take care of the bar while Cloud snoozed on the bed.

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**Hah, hah, hah, I thought this would be a cute chapter. What do you all think? Are you still reading it? Do you still like it? I hope so! Stay tuned for next installment of my fanfic, okay? Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **I can sing.

**A/N: **So can I! What do you know? Before we begin the next chapter, let's explore an idea…

Cloud with geostigma in this fanfic? Hmm… Now that's an idea… but that would be a close resemblance to the movie…I'll have to think about that one. You tell me what you think. If Cloud should get geostigma in this fanfic, then tell me if that'll be a good idea or not. I'll try to fit it in somehow if you like.

Anyway, let's begin! Read on! Beware, this chapter will start to get kinda dark from here on in. So will the rest of the fanfic.

**Chapter Thirteen: A Grave Error**  
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Cloud blinked awake. "…owie…" he moaned, rubbing his head. "My head… it aches…. Terribly…" he sat up, his head in is hands. "I felt fine yesterday…"

"It's called a hangover," said Zack. "It's what happens when you pass out from drinking too much."

"…oh yeah…" said Cloud slowly, falling back onto the pillow. "My head hurts really bad…"

"That does happen," said Zack. "Just hold the bridge of your nose, it should go away."

Cloud sighed, doing as Zack said. "Where's Sephiroth and Tifa?"

"They're uh… Well, Tifa's been awake for a while, but Sephiroth…"

A loud snort sounded from the other bed, and Cloud turned his head to see Sephiroth sleeping there with his mouth wide opened, snoring loudly. His hair was a mess, and a beer bottle was half hanging from his hand, which was slumped over the bed. "So even Sephy can drink too much," said Cloud, sitting up on the bed.

"Well, yeah, all SOLDIERs have at least a few flaws… I guess Sephiroth's flaw is a drinking problem. I didn't know that," said Zack musingly.

"_Merde_! Shut up!" yowled Sephiroth, lifting his head to glare at Zack and Cloud.

"Eep! We'll leave!" said Cloud and Zack, both of them hurrying out of the room. Tifa was downstairs, sadly cleaning the rest of the wineglasses and beer mugs.

"Sigh… I wanted this to be a sober bar…" she said to herself.

"Morning, Tifa," said Cloud.

"Oh, hello, Cloud," said Tifa, looking up at him. "How you feeling?"

"My head aches really bad, but I'll be fine," said Cloud, rubbing his head. "I think I drank more the I could handle last night…"

"I guess you did," said Tifa wearily, and she flopped her head onto the bar. "I spent the whole night tossing drunks out of the bar and cleaning up messes and breaking up fights…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tifa! I should have been there for you!" said Cloud worryingly. "I didn't mean to get drunk like that!"

Zack was checking his e-mail, and blinked in surprise at an e-mail he received. "Oh, you two go on and talk about it, I'll be outside," he said, closing the laptop and hurrying out of the bar.

"Zack, where are you going?" called Cloud, but Zack didn't look back or answer. "Sigh… I wish he'd tell me what he does when he does that," sighed Cloud. "He does that sometimes."

"Well, he did have those two other friends," said Tifa. "Maybe they needed him for something."

"Probably…"

**With Zack…**

Zack reached an abandoned part of town, and pulled out his phone. "Sachoo said he found out something important… I wonder what it is…?"

RING RING

"Oh. Sachoo called," he said a little unnecessarily. "Yes, sachoo, I'm listening."

"_Good, Zack, that's what I want to hear. Now, why didn't you test the BERSERK program on Cloud yet? I wanted it tested often."_

"Uh… Sephiroth said he wanted it to be a fair fight, to see Cloud's real strength. But I planned on testing it soon!"

"_You had better. I have a whole team of researchers who want to see the full length of the BERSERK program. And we can't see it's true potential if you don't test it!"_

Zack didn't answer right away. "…well…"

"_Well what? What's the matter?_"

"Can't we just… use someone else?" asked Zack tentatively.

"_Use someone else? Zack, I think you're forgetting what Cloud is. Haven't you figured it out yet? I'd have though a father would care deeply enough for a son to see if anything's wrong with him."_

Zack bit his lip. "You know how I view Cloud…? How did you know?"

"_You just told me,"_ said sachoo, and Zack could tell by the tone of his voice that he was smirking. "_But your task in this research is nearly over…"_

"What…What do you mean, sachoo?" asked Zack.

"_I mean, Zack, that I have more useful people researching this… People who are coming up with the programs to test this strength with…"_

"Sachoo--"

"_Don't try to stop the research, Zack. I know how much your own life means to you rather then someone else's. You stood up against Sephiroth, but can you stand against the forces that made you?"_

Zack sighed to himself. "I…guess not," he said finally. "I'll test BERSERK today…"

"_You have your orders, Zack. I want you to give the BERSERK program another test run, and send the results to me. Fail to follow these orders, and suffer a fate _much_ worse then death…"_

The sachoo hung up, leaving Zack to stand there shocked for a few seconds. "Sachoo… he's serious…! He doesn't care what happens to Cloud, as long as he finds out that this program works…If this program, they way Cloud tried to fight it last time… it might ruin his state of mind…it might drive Cloud insane…" Zack clenched his fist unconsciously as he looked back at the bar. "I'd better go warn him. Sachoo never said I couldn't warn him about it…"

Zack hurried back to the bar, and was surprised to hear shouting voices. "…! Cloud? Tifa?" He ran to the bar, and the shouting became clearer.

"…you can't blame me for that!"

"I can and will!"

Zack looked in the bar and saw Cloud and Tifa glaring daggers at each other. "If you feel that way, then just say it!" shouted Cloud. "I dare you!"

"Then I will!" shouted Tifa back. "Sometimes I just wish you'd go to Shinra and NEVER come back!"

"Maybe I will then, if Queen Tifa wishes it!"

"Then go with my blessing!" retorted Tifa, and she turned heel furiously and stomped upstairs.

"Come on, Zack!" said Cloud venomously, storming away from the bar. "God!" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "I can't STAND her sometimes!"

"Uh… May I ask what happened?" asked Zack.

"It's…_her,_" hissed Cloud, glaring at the bar. "She thinks so highly of herself!"

"Does she now?" asked Zack as the two of them walked to the church.

"The way she talks, you'd think she was some kind of club girl. A _club girl_!" he seethed angrily.

"Uhm… What exactly happened in there? When I left, you two were very peaceful and kind and caring to each other, and I come back, and you two are about ready to tear each other's throats out…"

Cloud glared at Zack. "This is all _your_ fault!" he hissed. "You had to make sure I had all the drinks so Tifa had an excuse to make me look like the bad one! Well, I won't blame myself, when it was you and Tifa. It was ALL of you!"

"I'm sorry," said Zack. "Why don't we talk to Aeris about this?"

"What can Aeris do to help?" asked Cloud huffily as he sat down on one of the church benches.

"I can try to calm you down and see the situation clearly," answered a much calmer and quieter voice. Aeris had appeared, leaning against the pillar, watching Cloud and Zack. "Why are we so angry this morning?" she asked.

"It's Tifa's fault," said Cloud loudly.

"He and his friend, Tifa, had some kind of argument when I came back to the bar," explained Zack in undertone to Aeris. "And he seems to think it's Tifa's fault…"

"Who's fault is it?" asked Aeris, sitting next to Cloud.

"Tifa's fault," said Cloud stubbornly again. "Are you going to defend her too?"

"That depends," said Aeris. "Can you tell me what she did to make you so angry?"

"She thinks I don't care about her or the bar. But it wasn't my fault I drank so much! It was _his_!" hissed Cloud, pointing at Zack. "I wanted to help her, I did. But she has the _audacity _to suggest that I'm too lazy and think only for myself. Selfish, she called me!"

"Do you care about her bar?" asked Aeris. "For the sake of the argument?"

"Of course I do! I just don't want to go there again! She can handle her problems on her own, I have my own life! She always thought she could just control my life whenever she wanted!"

"Tifa doesn't sound like a control freak," said Aeris reasonably. "She just wanted the help of a friend. Even I would want help if I had to run a bar by myself."

The worst of Cloud's fury had calmed down, even though his eyes still burned with anger. "She could hire a staff, she's rich enough to."

"Maybe she can't trust a staff."

"She had no problems around people back in Nibelheim! She was _always_ surrounded by guys! She was friend with them."

"City guys are much different from village guys," Aeris pointed out wisely. "Maybe the village guys never tried to hit on her or anything, unlike these ruffian city guys. I know, I've seen the way they act sometimes."

"….you're--you're right," sighed Cloud, the anger beginning to wear off. "I forgot about that…"

"Now that you've calmed down, do you want to go see Tifa? We could go together if you like."

"No… no, I should go alone," said Cloud, standing up. "It might make her feel better if I apologized to her personally, just her and me."

"Okay, if you say so," said Aeris with a smile. "Zack, you were pretty silent."

"Huh?" asked Zack, coming out of her reverie. He had been deep in thought when Aeris was talking to Cloud, and was now brought back to reality. "Oh, sorry, I was deep in thought."

"Were you?" asked Aeris. "About what?"

"…uh, I'll tell you later," said Zack, watching Cloud walk away from the church to go to Tifa.

"If you want, Zack," said Aeris, looking at all of her flowers. "Maybe you should go with him," she said. "Just in case."

Zack nodded. "You're right. I'll see you later, Aeris!" he turned to follow Cloud's trail to the bar.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud was about to enter the bar when a voice called, "Cloud! Wait a minute!"

He stopped and looked back to see Sephiroth running towards him. "Sephy?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Don't call me Sephy," said Sephiroth. "We have to fight. Right now."

"Right now?" repeated Cloud surprised.

"Yes, now!" said Sephiroth.

"But, I was gonna go see Tifa again. I need to apologize about an argument this morning," said Cloud.

"Tifa can wait," said Sephiroth. "Come on!" without awaiting anymore protests, Sephiroth whirled around and stalked off. "Cloud, come on!" he repeated.

"But I…" started Cloud, then sighed and followed Sephiroth.

On the way, Sephiroth and Cloud met with Zack. "Zack, you're coming with us!" said Sephiroth before Zack could say anything. "We're going to have a fight right here right now, and I _want_ you to use the BERSERK on Cloud."

Cloud gasped, and looked at Zack. "What? You two are going to fight right now?" asked Zack. "Can't it wait until we get back to Shinra gain?"

"No, Zack, now!" said Sephiroth pulling out Masamune. "Do the BERSERK now! Cloud, draw you're weapon!"

"…ok-okay," said Zack, pulling his laptop out. "I was ordered to anyway…"

"…I understand," said Cloud, pulling out his own sword.

Zack looked up at Cloud in astonishment. "Cloud?"

Cloud didn't meet Zack's gaze; instead he stared at the floor. "Just…just do it. Get it over and done with…"

Zack sat down in a spot that was ways away from the battle as Cloud and Sephiroth began to fight. "Cloud, I hope you'll be alright…" said Zack, not paying attention to what he was typing. He had no idea that he misspelled "berserk" on the program screen.

**Back with the battle…**

Sephiroth certainly had gotten better, Cloud could tell, but Cloud had already combined the eight swords together, and was defending quickly. Both jumped away from each other, and stood still for a few seconds, awaiting the other to make the first move. Suddenly, Cloud let out a strangled yell, as if he were stabbed by something. He fell to the ground, holding himself up with one arm. He gritted his teeth to stop from screaming again, but it was a hard effort.

"…what are you doing?" asked Sephiroth narrowing his eyes. _Whatever's happening to him is clearly causing his great anguish… Is Cloud trying to fight the BERSERK again, or is it something else?_ thought Sephiroth as he stood on edge in case Cloud mad any sudden movements.

"No!" shouted Cloud suddenly. "no, no, no…!" he pounded the ground with one fist, which was shaking in pain. "No, go away..!"

Zack looked horrified. _What's going on! The BERSERK shouldn't be doing this! Is it something else? _he frantically searched all of Cloud's program, searching for errors or the like. _I never typed this! Where's the mistake…!_

Cloud glared up at Sephiroth, a slightly-manic green glaze in the blue depths. "You…! You're casing this!" he yelled suddenly, picking his sword and charging at Sephiroth.

"…!" went Sephiroth, quickly defending. "What's wrong with you?" demanded Sephiroth. "BERSERK shouldn't be doing this!"

"Make it stop!" yelled Cloud. "You make it stop right now!" his attacks were completely in a new style; it was crazy, unpredictable.

"I'll make it stop all right!" snarled Sephiroth back, attacking Cloud viciously.

Near the back of the battle arena. Zack was still searching for the problem. "I don't' get it," he muttered to himself. "I've never seen this problem before… Where did I go wrong?" He gasped, realizing the problem right away. "Oh….! How could I have misspelled 'berserk'! Now I've done it…! Every other line or two, an 'error' is there! I forgot, if you confuse the program, it'll cause errors…!" He looked up at the battle. _Cloud, hang in there, I'll fix this problem…!_

Both Cloud and Sephiroth were attacking furiously, but for the first time in his living memory, Sephiroth was beginning to get exhausted. _He's insane!_ thought Sephiroth. _This isn't the BERSERK program at all…. This must be an error! There's no other explanation!_ Sephiroth swiftly dodged a blow from Cloud and whammed him away.

"You'll take away everything!" yelled Cloud, quickly recovering on his feet. "Everything! I won't let you!" He charged at Sephiroth again, attacking with insane determination. And then, after parrying Sephiroth's attack, he whammed Sephiroth's hand with the flat end of his sword, flinging Masamune a few feet away. Sephiroth let out a gasp of surprise, just as Cloud jumped back from Sephiroth and dived at him, and stabbed Sephiroth right through the chest.

Zack stopped in his typing when he heard that sound. _That sound…!_ It was a sound Zack thought he would never hear: It was the sound of Sephiroth letting out a sharp scream of surprise and pain. Never before has anyone stabbed him, much less an insane BERERK-ed SOLDIER. _This has to stop!_ decided Zack with cold fear and fury as Cloud kicked Sephiroth off of his sword. He made it all stop; he selected Cloud's programming, all of it, and hit the delete button.

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**Let's leave it there for now. I'll continue this soon, all right! Did I over do it a bit? I think so too, but… Oh, well, I think it looks great. Oh, and don't worry, the WHOLE fanfic after this won't be dark, there'll be some funny parts and some serious parts. I'm trying to find a balance of both. I hope you won't be disappointed. See you in a bit!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **That would be a good idea… Hmm…

**A/N: **It is, I'm actually gonna do it! Cloud is gonna get geostigma in this fanfic!

Oh, and I realize I made a mistake. It was supposed to be "shachoo", not "sachoo". Sorry for that mistake! It'll be corrected in future chapters, I don't feel like going back and fixing the rest of the chapters…Okay, let's carry on.

**Chapter Fourteen: The True Face of Jenova**  
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Cloud stopped suddenly. He had no idea what he just did, nor did he have any idea why he stopped. All of his program had been deleted.

"This is bad…" muttered Zack quickly under his breath, quickly retyping Cloud's program. "I can't believe this…. How could I have caused it…? How could I…!"

Sephiroth let out a groan of pain, shifting slowly to his side. "What--what happened?" he asked Zack angrily. "That… wasn't BERSERK at all…"

"No, unfortunately not," said Zack apologetically, continuing to retype the program. "I… accidentally caused an error. I misspelled the word 'berserk' and it cased a grave error in Cloud's programming. It completely jacked up the system, that Cloud reacted with the best way he could. With so many errors, his mind just cracked in two."

Sephiroth made an attempt to stand up, but fell back down to his side. "Ugh… Damn it, this truly is a first…" he took a hand to his chest, and felt the wound. "Well, he managed to do great damage this time…" he said with something like an ironic laugh. "I won't forget this in a hurry…"

At that moment, Tifa burst into the scene. "What's going on! I heard screaming and the clangs of swords, and I came up here to see…" she trailed off, seeing the sight in front of her. "What--What the--! What happened here?" she demanded. "Why is Sephiroth on the ground bleeding heavily! Why is Cloud just standing there! And Zack, why are you on your laptop! Now's hardly the time for chit chat or e-mail! Help me get Sephiroth back to the bar!"

Tifa ran over to Sephiroth and, with a great effort, heaved the six-foot-tall SOLDIER to the bar. "I don't need your help," said Sephiroth angrily, trying to break free from her vice-like grip. "I can fix my own wounds!"

"Stop that, you can't clean wounds like these on your own! Stop being such a big baby! Come on!"

Zack watched them walk away, and hurriedly typed up the rest of Cloud's program. _I'm not sure if I should tell shachoo about this…_ he hit the enter' button , and rushed over to Cloud. "Hey, Cloud, you kay?"

Cloud blinked and looked around. "Huh? What happened, the last thing I remember is Sephiroth asking for a fight."

"Well…" started Zack uneasily.

"Well, what? I thought I'd remember this time if you used BERSERK on me," said Cloud, looking back at Zack. "You did, didn't you?"

"It's a lot more complicated then that," said Zack with a slight apologetic chuckle. "You see, I misspelled 'berserk' on your program. It caused a severe error in your programming… You went completely insane, you attacked Sephiroth viciously."

"…I went insane?" repeated Cloud. "Whatever does that mean?"

"Exactly what I mean…. Ah, never mind, maybe it's best if you don't remember…. Although you gave Sephiroth quite a beating. Come on, let's get back to the bar." Zack led Cloud back to the 7th Heaven Bar and went upstairs to the guestroom. "Tifa, how's Sephiroth?"

"He's fine, I just don't know how to bandage the wound," said Tifa. "He passed out when I laid him down on the bed. I think he lost a lot of blood."

"Ah, so do I…" said Zack, looking anywhere but at Sephiroth. "Uh, someone should bandage him."

"Oh my god!" cried Cloud when he saw Sephiroth. "What--did _I _do that to him! This is worse then last time!"

"Last time?" repeated Tifa. "What do you mean, last time?"

"Uh, Tifa, let us go get Aeris for help!" said Zack loudly, seemingly grabbing Tifa at random. "Come on, she'll heal him!" he dragged Tifa, calling over his shoulder, "Go on and bandage him, Cloud!"

"Aah, slow down!" called Tifa as they went downstairs.

"Wait!" yelled Cloud. "I don't know how to bandage wounds!" But Zack and Tifa were already outside, and Cloud heard the door close. He sighed dejectedly. "Well, I might as well try…" he slowly looked back at Sephiroth, who was lying face-up on the bed, his wound still oozing blood a little. "I'll heal you then…" said Cloud, picking up a wash cloth and some bandages. "At least until Aeris comes here…"

Cloud got the cloth wet, and hesitated slightly, holding the cloth over the wound. _his---his shirt is gonna have to come off,_ he realized. Cloud went a little red, shook himself off, and carefully unbuttoned the leather shirt, slipping it off so he could clean the wound. _Wow, Sephy's fit! Look at his--AAH! What am I thinking!_ Cloud shook himself again, and hurriedly cleaned the wound up, wiping away and excess blood. Then he picked up the bandage roll and evenly applied the bandage around the wound.

When Zack and Tifa came back with Aeris two minutes later, Cloud was looking out the window, trying to think about anything other then Sephiroth's wound. "So you cleaned and bandaged the wound already?" asked Tifa.

"That's good," said Aeris when Cloud nodded. "It'll make the healing process a bit easier now. I ask that you three leave the room real quick, just in case. I don't want my magic to be confused and heal you three too."

"Okay, Aeris," said Zack. "We'll wait outside the door. Come on, Cloud, Tifa," said Zack, motioning for the mentioned two to follow him.

"You did a good job," said Tifa. "But now, you and Zack have some explaining to do!" she put her hands on her hips. "Now, tell me what you meant by 'last time'?"

Cloud sighed. Now was the moment to tell Tifa what was really on his mind while in Shinra. Cloud started when he first had a fight with Sephiroth, when Zack fist used the BERSERK program on him, to when Sephiroth beat Cloud up, to Cloud getting his own Chocobo, to when Sephiroth and Cloud had a fair and square fight, to the three of them becoming friends, to this current battle, when Zack made an error in Cloud's programming.

Tifa sat at the table, looking dumbfounded for a few seconds. "Let--Let me get this straight," she said, standing up. "You're telling me, Cloud, that there's some kind of new, untested program they made at Shinra called 'BERSERK' and that they're using YOU as the test subject for it… and that you'll just take it lying down!"

Cloud looked down at the table. "If I were to go against Shinra's orders… I'm told that disobedience is punished pretty harshly at SOLDIER…"

"That's true," agreed Zack.

"Disobedience!" repeated Tifa. "Cloud, standing up for yourself _isn't_ disobedience! It's protecting yourself from people who want to use people like you!"

"It's--It's not _using_ me, per se, it's… it's more like…"

"Don't try to defend what they're doing to you!" said Tifa. She glared at Zack. "And what about you! What kind of friend are you to actually test the program on him! Can't you just protest for him? Or better yet, just defy the whole thing! Make it all stop!"

Zack was stung by Tifa's words. "Don't you think I want to?" he asked, a bit defensively. "_I_ don't want to test the program on Cloud, but I've been ordered to by shachoo!"

"Who cares what shachoo says? Testing is just plain wrong!"

"Tifa, it's a bit more complicated then that…" said Cloud quietly.

"How! If he's the shachoo, and he's in charge of a good company, then why is he ordering terrible things like this to happen? Can't he see the consequences? It nearly caused both Cloud and Sephiroth to be killed!"

Cloud flinched at Tifa's furious outbursts, and Zack said, "Tifa, things work differently at Shinra. Shachoo _does_ run a good company, but he's… not exactly a good person at heart! Shachoo's word is law; you either follow orders or you don't."

"What's with men like him being 'either/or'?" asked Tifa in disgust. "I might as well march over to Shinra myself and tell them that this is wrong!"

"Ti-Tifa," began Cloud hesitantly, "really, I'm fine with the BERSERK being tested on me… I don't want to cause problems by refusing."

"Meaning you're just too scared to fight!" yelled Tifa, slamming the table with a fist. "I've always told you to be more assertive, Cloud! Otherwise people will walk all over you!"

Cloud looked down at the floor and didn't answer.

"Is that it?" asked Tifa. "You just want to avoid any confrontations and arguments. As long as everyone's happy, right? That's not a good way to be, Cloud!"

"He's not a complete doormat," said Zack defensively. "Nobody picks on him, nobody bullies him. I think you're just worrying too much about Cloud!"

"Of course I worry!" retorted Tifa. "I worry because Cloud is too busy trying to please everyone that he never as time to worry about himself!"

"That's not true," said Cloud, looking up at Tifa. "I never tried to please anyone!"

"Avoiding fights and arguments _is_ trying to please everyone!" corrected Tifa.

A door opened, and the three of them looked to the upstairs to see Aeris coming down the stairs. "Oh, the air is kind of angry, isn't it?" she asked, looking at each of them in turn. "Did I miss something? Why are we all mad?"

"I'm not mad, just frustrated!" said Tifa angrily. "Cloud here tells me that Shinra is testing a very dangerous program on him, and he doesn't want to stand up for himself!"

"That's not it at all!" said Zack, scowling at Tifa. "If you understood how things were done at Shinra, you'd see why Cloud's afraid to stand up for himself!"

"I--I'm not afraid of anyone," muttered Cloud, looking at the floor.

Tifa opened her mouth in a furious retort, but Aeris held up a hand. "That's enough," she said calmly. "Let's not argue about this anymore."

"But--"

"Aeris, we're just about to--"

"If you're all too angry to see each other eye-to-eye, then there's nothing to discuss," said Aeris. "Let us all calm down now, and take a few minutes to think it over. Only when we aren't seething about a problem are we really solving it."

Tifa looked down at Cloud, then heaved a sigh. "Fine…fine… If you don't want to talk about it right now… I'm sorry for prying," she said, sitting back down.

"No, no, I'm sorry for worrying you so much," said Cloud.

"Well… if we're done with that," said Zack, sitting down too. He looked over at Cloud, and bit his lip._ But Tifa _does_ have a point… Am I really his friend…? She's right, I should protest to shachoo about this… but…_ Zack sighed dejectedly, thinking about how shachoo had threatened him earlier that day.

**Meanwhile, over at Shinra…**

Shachoo grinned widely. He always loved it when a well-planned event went smoothly. He had just got the results of the latest "BERSERK" testing from Zack, and he could see the program was improving greatly. "Yes…" he said. "This is just perfect…" he looked up at the group of Turks who had been awaiting further orders. "You've been doing a brilliant job."

Tseng stepped forward with a nod. "Yes, shachoo, we've been greatly improving the program that you wrote. All we need to see are these current results of those test, and we'll have perfected it."

"And we've furthered our research on Jenova, too," said Elena, stepping forward. "It seems that her signs of 'actual life' started a little bit before Cloud arrived here."

"Do you think Cloud has something to do with it?" asked shachoo.

"We're not sure," answered Vincent. "We're still researching that fact. If Cloud indeed has something to do with it, then we'll be sure to find out what it is. Then again, it could be just a coincidence."

"Hmm…you're right, I suppose," said shachoo, running a hand over his chin thoughtfully. "Well, are meeting has come to an end. You're all dismissed."

"Right, sir," said Rude, and he and the rest of the Turks turned and left the room.

"Well, that was a boring meeting," yawned Reno, stretching his arms over his head. "I didn't see anything important about that meeting."

"That's because there's nothing of any interest to report," said Vincent. "We have a long way to go before we get any real answers."

"But still… I wonder if Cloud had anything to do with Jenova's signs of 'actual life'…" mused Elena.

"Well, for now, all we can do is find out the answers," said Tseng. "As Vincent said, we have a long way to go from here. Let's continue our research." the rest of the group nodded and went down to their own research room.

**Back with shachoo…**

Shachoo stood up and walked to the window. _One day will come a time when they have to find out who Jenova really is…Or rather, who Jenova was really put into…_ he stared out the window down to a special part of Shinra where Jenova was held, and smiled to himself cruelly.

**The next morning, at the 7th Heaven Bar…**

Cloud was already awake that morning, looking at the rising sun when Sephiroth blinked awake. "…?" he asked, sitting up. "_Ai-yee,_" he winced suddenly, putting a hand over his bandaged wound. "What happened?" he asked. He glared suddenly upon realizing that it was Cloud who was in the room.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth. "You…Are you feeling all right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Feeling all right?" repeated Sephiroth indignantly. "Are you kidding, I hurt like hell right now…"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said Cloud. "You're not angry, are you?"

"No, I'm not angry," said Sephiroth, standing up.

"That's good," sighed Cloud with relief.

"I'M FURIOUS!" yelled Sephiroth, unsheathing Masamune and pointing it at Cloud. It was a very long katana, mind you, and it was pointed directly at Cloud's nose. "Tell me what Zack did to cause this?" he asked menacingly.

Cloud looked at the edge of the Masamune, then looked up at Sephiroth. "Uh, Zack said it was an error, remember… I don't quite remember the battle."

"Well, you'd better hurry up and remember it!" snarled Sephiroth angrily. "My dignity is in ruins now, if anyone hears about this! I've been defeated TWICE by you!"

"…" said Cloud, at a loss of what to say. Since Zack had deleted the program and rewritten it, Cloud was having trouble remembering things.

At that moment the door opened and Tifa entered, carrying a tray with steaming oatmeal and a bowl of fruit on it. "Oh, is this how SOLDIERs say good morning to each other?" she asked with a grin, setting the plate on the bedside table.

Sephiroth sighed angrily, lowering Masamune. "Excuse me, I'm not in the best of moods for cheek."

Cloud ran over to Tifa, hiding behind her. "Sephy's still a little scary," he said quietly from behind Tifa.

"Sheath your sword and eat your breakfast," ordered Tifa. "And sit back down, if you move to much, you'll reopen the wounds."

Sephiroth looked astonished. "Are you ordering me around!" he demanded.

"Don't make me use force now!" said Tifa warningly, raising a fist. "Sit back down and eat!"

"…fine," said Sephiroth, grudgingly acknowledging that he was in no condition to argue anyway. He sat down at the edge of the bed and pulled the tray closer to him. "Ugh…" he muttered, lifting a spoonful of the oatmeal. "Is this meal first class? I can _smell_ the artificial flavoring!"

"Shut up and eat!" yelled Tifa.

Cloud looked between Sephiroth and Tifa. _Wow, she really does have no idea on how ways are run around here! Back in Shinra, no one would dare have the nerve to even _talk_ to Sephy… I guess that's how brave Tifa is,_ thought Cloud with a smile.

"So, when are we going back to Shinra?" asked Sephiroth, now examining a pineapple closely.

"Uh… Today, I think," said Cloud. "I'm not sure, I'll go ask Zack."

"You do that," said Sephiroth, replacing the pineapple and lifting a bushel of grapes to examine.

Cloud nodded, knowing that Sephiroth wouldn't try anything while wounded like that. He went downstairs and looked around for Zack. To his surprise, Zack was leaned over his laptop, reading an e-mail. From the look of shock on Zack's face, it was a pretty distressing e-mail. "Zack?" asked Cloud. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" asked Zack, looking up. "No, nothing wrong," he said cheerfully, closing the laptop. "I was just reading a scary online fanfic!"

"Oh… Uh, Sephy wants to know when we're leaving. It's today, right?"

"Yeah, it's today. We leave at 6:00 PM."

"Okay!" said Cloud with a big smile. "Thanks for telling me!" he darted back upstairs with an elated feeling.

Zack, however, looked bleak, and opened the laptop, reading the same sentence over and over again. It was this sentence in the e-mail from shachoo that distressed him because it spoke an unspoken threat to be wary for Cloud…

_Jenova is showing signs of actual life, Zack, and if Cloud has something to do with it, then be ready to have nice long talks with him._

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**Let's leave it there. I'll update this in a little bit, hopefully. If not, I'll see you again! Bye, for now!  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…no comment.

**A/N: **WHEE! I'm glad you're all still following this fanfic! It's better to have a fanfic everyone loves:3 I'm glad you think the idea of Cloud with geostigma in this fanfic is an excellent idea. But tell me, should I use Fenrir too? Some say it's a good idea. Just let me know what you think, as always! Let's go.

**Chapter Fifteen: Geostigma**  
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"Okay, Aeris, we'll see you again! Tifa, take care of yourself!" Zack waved to everyone happily. "Good bye!"

"Bye!" called Tifa.

"Take care yourself," said Aeris calmly, waving.

"See you, Tifa!" called Cloud.

"Can we skip the good-byes, and just leave?" asked Sephiroth irritably. "Come on!" he said, picking up Zack and Cloud. "Let's go!"

"Bye!" called Cloud again as Sephiroth tossed Zack and Cloud into the van. He sighed, sitting up. "You don't have to be embarrassed that they helped you so much," Cloud said to Sephiroth, looking out the window.

"Hey, Zack, who're the girls?" asked one SOLDIER from the passenger front seat.

"Friends of ours," answered Zack nonchalantly, not giving away any pretense that he and Aeris were more then friends. "The dark brown haired one is Tifa Lockhart, and the brown hair is Aeris Gainsborough. Aeris lives in that church, and Tifa works at the bar."

"Ooh, a bar!" squealed the other SOLDIER teasingly. "Is that why you didn't want us to go with you, Zack? You could share some fun with us!"

"It--Tifa's nothing like that!" said Cloud defensively. "Tifa's not a prostitute, and neither is Aeris! Don't think it was like that!"

"Sure, sure," said the SOLDIER driving the van.

"It's the truth!"

"Ah, don't let what they say get to you, Cloud," said Zack, patting Cloud's shoulder. "They're just jealous because they ain't got any women folk of their own," he said in a stage whisper to Cloud.

Cloud smiled at Zack. "Yeah… you're right," he said, calming down.

"Women folk," repeated Sephiroth with a snort. "What a joke. _I _don't need anything like that."

"Yeah, cause he's in love with himself," muttered one SOLDIER.

"I will NOT be spoken to like that!" snarled Sephiroth. "Shut up and face forward!"

The one SOLIDER jumped and faced forward.

Cloud sighed, unconsciously leaning on Zack again. "I always hated car drives…"

"Me too," said Zack. "I'm impatient sometimes, even though I don't look it."

Cloud was about to agree when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left arm. "Ow!" he cried, grabbing his left arm with his right hand.

"Cloud?" asked Zack, looking down at Cloud in concern. "What is it?"

As suddenly as it started, the pain passed. Cloud rubbed his left arm curiously. "Nothing…" he said. "Nothing, sorry to worry you."

"Are you sure? No one goes 'ow' suddenly without any reason," said Zack. "Come on, pal, you can tell me!"

"Really, nothing's wrong," said Cloud truthfully. "Really, my arm just hurt for a few seconds. I did trip down the stairs before we left. Maybe I'm just now feeling the pain of it."

"Maybe…" said Zack. "Well, I'm not gonna wait it all out. I'm gonna sleep the whole way there!" he announced, and leaned his head onto Cloud's. "Zack go beddy bye!" And with that, he fell asleep.

Cloud blushed and the SOLDIER driving the van called, "Fine, go ahead, I'll wake you when we get there." His own heart thudding heavily inside him, Cloud leaned onto Zack, and he too fell asleep in the van.

Sephiroth eyed the two friend leaning on each other. "Huh," he scoffed. "I don't think they realize how… odd that looks."

"Maybe they're just good friends," said one SOLDIER.

"Yeah, Zack said himself that he views Cloud like a son of some sorts! Maybe Zack wants to feel more fatherly to Cloud," said the other SOLDIER.

"…maybe Cloud has a different view of Zack," said Sephiroth quietly, seeing Cloud smile in his sleep.

**About 8 ½ hours later…**

"Hey, Zack, Cloud, wake up, we're here!" the SOLDIER who drove the van hopped out, and opened the back door. "Zack! Cloud!"

"Hubba-wa?" went Zack, looking around wildly. "Are we under attack?"

"No, moron, we're here. Wake Cloud up for me," he said, walking away.

Zack sighed with relief. "Oh, good, that was just a nightmare." with a sheepish chuckle, he poked Cloud awake. "Hey, Cloud, wake up, we're here."

"…wha..?" Cloud blinked awake. "Noo, five more minutes…"

"Come on, lazy, let's go!" said Zack cheerfully, lifting Cloud out of the van and onto his feet. "We can get back to sleep when we get to our rooms!"

Cloud groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Fine, fine," he mumbled, letting Zack lead him back inside Shinra.

"Here you go!" said Zack, opened the blanket so Cloud could hop into the bed. "Good night, Cloud!"

Cloud looked up at Zack with one eye. "…thank--thank you," he stammered. "Good night to you too."

"You bet!" said Zack happily. He ruffled Cloud's hair and cheerfully walked out of the room and closed the door.

Despite being ever so tired, Cloud hugged the pillow closer. _Zack…if only…I knew why I felt this way about you…_

**_Flash: Zack bawling about not being perfect, and Cloud hurrying to comfort him…_**

At that same moment, Cloud felt the intense pain in his arm again. He gasped in surprise and pain clutching his left arm again. _This is just like last time…!_

**_Flash: Zack was applying the wolf-head earring to Cloud's left ear, humming cheerfully to himself…_**

The pain in the left arm continued; Cloud gritted his teeth and grabbed at the bed, his fist clenching the bed covers in pain.

**_Flash: Zack and Cloud were in the Chocobo Garden, and Zack was watching Cloud fondly while Cloud cuddled Kumo…_**

After a few seconds of anguished pain in his left arm, it stopped, leaving Cloud wincing terribly on the bed, panting slightly. _What--what was that pain..! It shouldn't hurt this bad.. No, I can't tell anyone about this… I can't worry anyone like that…_

_Avoiding fights and arguments _is _trying to please everyone!_

Tifa's words echoed in Cloud's mind, but he shook it off. "No," he said aloud to himself firmly, releasing his left arm. "I'm not avoiding a fight… or argument… I don't want to cause a worry over nothing…"

_If you understood how things were done at Shinra, you'd see why Cloud's afraid to stand up for himself!_

"I'm _not_ afraid… This is just crazy… Hearing voices isn't a good sign, I'll just ignore it…" Cloud laid back down on the bed, and fell back asleep, clearing his mind of any thought at all.

**A few weeks later…**

Throughout the weeks, the pain in Cloud's left arm kept on coming and going, but Cloud continued to ignore it. Convinced that it would do no-one any good, he resolved not to tell anyone about it, not to make it obvious that his left arm hurts when it starts hurting again. It was no easy effort, but Cloud managed to succeed; no one ever noticed anything wrong with Cloud.

But as of late, the pain continued to intensify, a hot searing pain in his left arm that caused Cloud to suddenly remember many things, sad or happy. Cloud had checked the arm out himself, and saw a dark, dirt-stain-like blemish on his upper left arm, and it seemed to be the cause of the pain. But no matter how badly it hurt, Cloud always told himself the same thing: "It won't do any good to tell anyone, and I'm not important enough to have people needlessly worry about me".

Today was the first day of Autumn, and it was beautiful outside; the sky was always clear blue with a few puffs of clouds drifting around; there was always a fine cool breeze, and the falling red and gold leaves were a sight within themselves. Today, Cloud was wondering off by himself in the Chocobo Garden. He had left dinner early, not eating much.

He sighed, sitting against the tree with Kumo plopping onto his lap. "Kumo, it's weird…" he said, closing his eyes in the breeze in the shade. "I've been losing my appetite lately…"

"Caw?" inquired Kumo, looking up at Cloud.

"It could be because of… No, but that was long ago…" Cloud scratched the back of Kumo's head absentmindedly, deep in thought.

Kumo purred appreciatively, and let out a hungry caw. "Caw, caw!" she said.

"Oh, are you hungry? Okay, wait here, I'll go get your food…" He placed Kumo down on the ground, stood up, and went to the little birdhouse that stored all of the Chocobo's food. As he took hold of the bag, the sharp pain started again. He winced slightly, and turned around to bring the food to Kumo, determined not to show any pain in front of Kumo…

**With Zack…**

Zack had been noticing that Cloud was acting weird these past few weeks. _If something's bugging him, why won't he just say so…?_ thought Zack worryingly as he finished the last of the spaghetti. _We've been friends for a long time, I can't see why he can't tell me anything…_

"Dinner's good tonight!" said one SOLDIER happily, dropping the fork onto his plate. "Let's go get seconds, Zack!"

"Yeah, there' plenty left over!" agreed the other SOLDIER.

"Uh… Not tonight, guys, I'm gonna go check on Cloud," said Zack, standing up. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

"Come on, Zack! You spend all your time worrying about him!"

"I do not," disagreed Zack, crossing his arms. "What makes you say that?"

"Everytime Cloud does something like wanting to be alone or not talking, you like to make a big deal out of it. If you're so worried about Cloud's personality, why don't you just change his program? You _are_ the lead programmer at Shinra after all!"

Zack turned away before answering. "I…can't do that to him. Cloud's different from the rest of us somehow, and I…"

"How's he different?" asked the other SOLIDER curiously.

"I have no idea. Shachoo says that Cloud is different somehow, and how will I find out hw he's different if I change his program?" Zack walked to the door, waving over his shoulder and calling, "Catch y'all tomorrow!" Zack went straight to the Chocobo Garden, and he saw something frightening there. "…! Cloud!" he asked, running over to the collapsed blonde. "Cloud, hey, wake up!" he said, shaking him awake.

Kumo was dancing on her toes, trying to peck Cloud's face. "Caw, caw, caw!" she went, clearly in distress.

"What happened?" asked Zack, quite glad now that he took the time to learn the Chocobo language.

Kumo looked up at Zack and cawed something.

"Cloud says his arm's been hurting him for a while?" asked Zack in shock. Kumo nodded and cawed some more. "And today, it seemed to be hurting him worse then ever…?"

Kumo nodded. "Caw, caw," she said sadly, gently clawing Cloud's left arm.

"It….it bled today?" asked Zack faintly. Now he had to deal with blood.

Kumo nodded again. "Caw! Caw, caw, caw!" she said, looking distressed again, and indicated a few droplets of something green on the grass.

"….that's not normal…" said Zack faintly. "How could this… This has to be something else… another error or something…?" he shook his head, and said to Kumo, "You wait here, I'm gonna take Cloud to the infirmary, okay? I'll let you know if anything happens!"

"Caw," agreed Kumo, stepping away so Zack could pick Cloud up. "Caw, caw!" she called as Zack hurried away to Shinra's infirmary.

"Doc! Doc, I need your help!" yelled Zack as he burst into the infirmary.

The doctor jumped and hurried over to Zack. "Yes, yes, I'm here to help, but calm down! Tell me what the problem is."

"It's Cloud's left arm," said Zack, laying Cloud down on one of the beds. "According to his Chocobo, his left arm has been hurting him for a while. And today, it bled, pretty badly I'm guessing."

The doctor took this all in with several small nods. "I see, I see… Well, let me roll up this sleeve to observe the arm…" As the doctor did so, Zack could see a dark-dirt-stain-like blemish on the upper let arm. "Hmm…!" said the doctor in mild surprise. "This… this is new… I've never seen anything like this…"

"You haven't?" asked Zack in disappointment. "I thought it was…"

The doctor let out a long sigh. "I'll see to him, though I can't promise anything. If this caused him to faint today…"

"Okay…"

"Now, clear on out of here for a few seconds, I can't have people in here when I check up on patients."

"Sure thing," said Zack, albeit looking worried, and he backed out of the room. "Can I see him later?" he asked at the doorway.

"You can see him tomorrow," said the doctor, waving a hand. "Really, Cloud is in good hands, Zack, don't worry." Zack nodded and left, closing the door.

After bandaging the blemish, the doctor walked to his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed a specific number…

**With Zack…**

Zack sighed, leaning on a wall outside of Shinra. "Was _that_ what was bothering Cloud…? If it was something as drastic as that…. Why didn't he just say something…?"

"Caw!" went Kumo, standing on top of the hill.

"Huh? Oh, that's right," said Zack, and hurried over to Kumo. "You know, Kumo, I don't think you've been introduced to my Chocobo, have you?"

Kumo shook her head. "Caw?"

"Cloud will be just fine, the doctor said he'll be fine." Zack smiled, and whistled loudly. "Heh, my Chocobo should be coming too."

Some kind of hyper cawing was heard, and some footsteps thudded towards the two. "CAW!" went a 4 foot tall black-feathered Chocobo.

"Hey! Hello, Fuzzy!" said Zack affectionately. "How are you?"

"Caw, caw, caw!" said Fuzzy.

Kumo stared wide-eyed at Fuzzy. "Caw!" she went. Meeting bigger Chocobo always scared her.

"You're soo cute! Yes you are!" said Zack, snuggling Fuzzy's head. "Ooh, ooh, Fuzzy, look here, this is Cloud's Chocobo, Kumo! Say hello, Fuzzy!"

"Caw!" said Fuzzy, bowing his head politely to Kumo.

"Caw!" agreed Kumo, nodding her own head. She noticed that Fuzzy had only four toes on one foot.

"Well, I'm glad you two are here…" said Zack sitting down in between the two Chocobo. "Now we truly are a family!"

"How do you know if Cloud feels the same way about you?" asked a voice behind him. Zack looked back to see Sephiroth standing there, holding a leash that held Spikey. "Haven't you realized?"

"Realized what?" asked Zack, looking upside down at Sephiroth. "I care about him, yes. Why, he doesn't like it?"

"Oh no, he likes it. Cloud more then likes it in fact."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"If you haven't noticed yet, then blame it on your own ignorance," said Sephiroth, turning to leave. "If you noticed the way Cloud acted around you, if you took time to notice why he holds on to you so tightly…" He walked away, Spikey snarling furiously at Kumo and Fuzzy as she walked by.

Zack blinked as he watched th two walk away. "Huh? What are you talking about?" But Sephiroth didn't look back nor answer.

"Caw," said Kumo in amusement.

"I know Cloud likes me," said Zack with a smile. "I like him too! I feel like we're family!"

Fuzzy and Kumo exchanged glances. "Caw, caw," said Fuzzy.

"Eh? Different how? Is there any other 'like' out there?" asked Zack with a laugh. "The feelings I have for Cloud are entirely fatherly! I know the way Cloud feels me is that of a son to a father!"

Kumo and Fuzzy exchanged glances again.

**Meanwhile, back in the doctors office…**

"…new illness?" asked the doctor.

"No, it's not," said the other voice. "It's some kind of error. But I know how to fix it."

"But he needs to stay here, I can't discharge him from the infirmary yet!"

Cloud blinked a little, and lifted his head slightly. _Huh…? This wasn't where I was… where am I? Where's Kumo? _He could see the infirmary's doctor standing there, along with the back view of another man. _Who's that other guy…?_

"Trust me, I know what to do with this."

"Hojo-sama, it's against the rules to let a SOLIDER out without being completely healed--"

The man called Hojo raised a hand. "That is enough. Who says anyone will find out about this? What shachoo doesn't know won't hurt him, and besides, I can use this to my advantage."

"I--"

"Enough," repeated Hojo. He looked back at Cloud. "Ah, I see your patient is awake. Go on and see how he's feeling."

The doctor looked slightly harassed, but he bustled over to Cloud all the same. "Well, Cloud? How are you feeling?" he asked, laying a wrist over Cloud's forehead.

"…? I'm feeling so confused…" said Cloud truthfully, sitting up. "I remember… the Chocobo Garden… I was feeding Kumo, and then.. It was all black…"

"Well, don't move around so much, you're still pretty weak," said the doctor, removing the bandage to check on the arm.

Hojo came up to the other side of Cloud's bed. "Cloud, you don't mind having to come with me real quick, do you?"

Cloud looked up at Hojo. "N…No, I suppose not, but… Who are you?"

"I'm one of the leading scientists here at Shinra. I know how to fix that stigma in your left arm. So if you please, follow me."

Cloud hesitated, looking at the doctor. He nodded. "It…It'd be best for you to go with Hojo-sama. He'll know what to do… I admit, I've never seen anything like a stigma before."

"Stigma?" repeated Cloud as he got off the bed to follow Hojo out of the room.

"I'll explain everything," said Hojo in a reassuring tone, calling to the doctor, "I'll let you know what happens, okay?" the doctor called something in agreement, and closed the door. "Worry not, Cloud, I know how to fix that stigma in your arm."

"It's--It's nothing to be worried about," said Cloud, staring at the floor. "Really, Hojo-sama, I'm not worth that much trouble…"

"Quite the contrary, Cloud, you are a great source of worry," said Hojo as he led Cloud down the corridor with the many locked and closed doors. "Ever since you fist came to Shinra, we scientists have been wondering how one of Jenova's cells got into you… But now, the stigma will tell us."

"Eh?" asked Cloud.

"In this room… We'll find out many things…" said Hojo, entering a code on the door. "For in this room, Cloud, is where Jenova is."

Cloud gasped and looked up at Hojo. "You mean…?"

Hojo smiled. "That's right," he said, and led Cloud into the room, the door closing with a mighty thud behind them.  
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**Whee, let's leave it there! What do you think? Seriously, I never expected anyone to actually like this fanfic! If you're still reading this, the you must really like it:D That's awesome of you all! Thanks for reading! Oh, and should I use Fenrir in this fanfic as well? Don't forget to review! Bye, for now!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…

**A/N: **…yeah, let's continue..

**Chapter Sixteen: What Are Friends For? Zack the Best Friend!**  
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"Shachoo, we have it," said Tseng. The whole group of Turks had just come in with excellent news. "We've perfected the BERSERK program. Now all we need to do is see it in action."

Shachoo grinned widely. "That's excellent, Tseng. Really. Give me a moment, I'll get our lead programmer in here. I'll have him test it on Cloud after Hojo is done with him."

"Hojo, done with Cloud?" asked Reno from behind Tseng. "What does that mean? Is Hojo doing tests on Cloud or something?"

"That sounds weird coming from you," said Elena under her breath.

"No, it's nothing at all like that. Hojo is fixing a problem Cloud has… It's nothing that concerns any of you. Now leave the program here, and you are all dismissed. Continue the research of Jenova's actual life signs, okay? I want a full report on it at the end of this week, okay?"

"We'll do our best, shachoo," said Rude, placing the program on the table.

"Come on," said Vincent, and the five Turks left the room.

After they closed the door, shachoo picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hojo," he said. "How is it going? Your plan had better be important, it's holding up the BERSERK tests."

"_Everything's going according to plan, shachoo," _said Hojo. "_Trust me, what I'm going to do to Cloud will greatly make the BERSERK program much better then it was before. Cloud will be quite safe when he comes back, not a single stand of blonde hair will be ruined."_

"It better not be," said shachoo, "otherwise you'll be sorry you ever came up with the idea."

"_Sure, sure, shachoo. But after I tell you what I did, you'll be thanking me for what I did. Thanking me enough to give me a raise."_

"I wouldn't count on it," said shachoo, and he hung up.

**Meanwhile…**

Zack entered the doctors office and looked around. "Doc?" he asked, looking around. "Where's Cloud?"

"What?" asked the doctor, looking up distractedly from his desk. "What is it?"

"Cloud, doc. Where's Cloud?"

"Oh, uh…" the doctor sighed. _Hojo never said to not tell him where he took Cloud… so I suppose it's safe to tell him what's going on… _"Hojo came in here about three hours ago to take Cloud somewhere to fix the problem."

"Hojo!" repeated Zack. "But, isn't Hojo the guy who…?"

"The very same," agreed the doctor with wave of his hand.

"Hojo's gonna mutilate Cloud!" cried Zack, shaking the doctor like crazy. "He's gonna turn Cloud into a frog or something!"

"Ah! Stop shaking me!" said the doctor.

"….oh no!" said Zack faintly, dropping doctor. "I knew this would happen… I _knew_ it…!"

"Knew what?" asked the doctor, fixing his coat collar back on.

"Hojo IS gonna mutilate Cloud, but in an entirely different way! Oh, no! I knew it! What can I do, what can I do, WHAT CAN I DO!" cried Zack, pulling at his hair. "This is the same man who…"

"Zack, Zack, calm down!" said the doctor, rushing over to Zack with a cup of water and aspirin. "Drink this, and sit down. It's not as bad as you think."

"It is, doctor!" said Zack worryingly. "Hojo is going to turn Cloud into a clone of Sephiroth!"

**In Hojo's lab…**

"Everything's gone perfectly so far…" said Hojo, rereading his own report to himself. "I think this test will actually be a success…"

"Hojo-sama, we're nearly finished over here," said a female voice. "Let me know when to release him."

"It looks great so far," said another voice, a male one. "I think this test will be a success!"

"You echo my thoughts, Reeve," said Hojo. "And wait just a little bit longer, Lucrecia, I want it to be absolutely perfect."

"Okay, Hojo-sama," said Lucrecia.

"Hojo-sama, what makes you think it'll work, though?" asked Reeve curiously. "All of our other attempts always failed."

"Trust me, Reeve, Cloud is just _perfect_ for the project…"

"I know it'll be perfect," said Lucrecia with a fond smile at Hojo. "He succeeded with the Jenova project. I can see that this will succeed too."

"Of course it will," said Hojo, not noticing Lucrecia's fond smile.

Lucrecia sighed, and typed up a few more buttons. "There, that's good."

"The stigma gave you the idea, Hojo-sama," said Reeve, turning to the scientists. "But how did Cloud get the stigma in the first place?"

"It was because of the error Zack caused," said Hojo, walking around to stand between Reeve and Lucrecia. "Zack somehow caused a grave error in Cloud's programming. He had to delete the program, which is highly unadvisable, because it can cause serious side-effects. In fact, Cloud is the first to have his program deleted ever in the history of Shinra. The result, as you see, was the stigma."

"What does the stigma do?" asked Lucrecia. "It sounds awful."

"It is, I've tested the effects of the stigma," said Hojo, bringing up a report on the stigma on his computer. "From what I can deem it makes you feel intense pain in your whole body, and you remember many different things. Sad or happy things."

"That _is_ awful," agreed Reeve, looking at all the test results. "And from these results, you saw that we could…?"

"That's right, Reeve," said Hojo, rereading all his test results. "Cloud seems to have remembered more bad things the good… Anguish like that is perfect for experimenting on."

"Hojo-sama, you're a bit of a sadist," commented Lucrecia. She hit one last button, and looked up at Reeve and Hojo. "I think he's ready."

"Yes, he is," agreed Hojo. "Release him, and let s see how he reacts."

Reeve walked around to the other side of the lab, and Lucrecia hit a release button. The sound of glass breaking was heard along with a splash, and Cloud fell straight to the ground with an "ow" of surprise.

Hojo walked over to Cloud an kneeled down to his eye lever. "Hello, Cloud," he said. "How are you feeling?"

Cloud blinked, and got to his knees slowly. "..? Where am I?" he asked.

"That's usually what they say first," said Hojo aloud as though explaining how two and two work. "You're just fine, stand up, stand up," he said, helping Cloud to his feet. "How are you feeling?"

"…" Cloud looked around. "I feel fine… I guess," he said, "but I feel really tired…"

"That's good," said Hojo, making a note.

Cloud winded and fell down to his knees again, grabbing his left arm. "But… this still hurts…! I thought it'd be fixed…"

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," said Hojo, walking around to where Lucrecia stood. "I couldn't fix it."

Reeve was checking something on the other side of the lab, and walked over to Hojo and Lucrecia. "Is it a success?" he asked quietly to Hojo.

"Let's find out," said Lucrecia, walking over to Cloud. "Does your arm still hurt?" she asked gently.

Cloud blinked and looked up at Lucrecia. "It--It does… Terribly…" he rubbed his arm and closed his eyes. "I'm….I remember…"

"Remember what?" asked Lucrecia. "You can tell me."

"I remember… terrible things…" he loosened the grip on his left arm. "It hurts more terribly then ever now…"

Lucrecia put a hand on his back reassuringly. "Don't worry about that, you're just fine now. I'm sorry we couldn't fix the stigma."

"No, it's all right…" said Cloud quietly, standing up. "Now could someone tell me where I am?"

"Oh, yes, you're in my lab," said Hojo. "I thought my technology could cure the stigma, but I guess not. Do try not to tell anyone about this, okay?"

Cloud nodded slowly. "I won't tell anybody… I don't want to worry anybody… It's not their problem, I'm not their problem…"

"Good," said Reeve. "On your way then."

Cloud nodded again and slowly walked to the door.

"You're letting him go just like that?" asked Lucrecia. "But how will we know if the cloning worked?"

"Easy," said Hojo walking over to Cloud. "Hey, Cloud!" he called.

Cloud stopped and looked back. "Yes, Hojo-sama?" he asked.

Hojo leaned in close onto Cloud's face, observing each eye. "You're fine," he said, patting Cloud's shoulder.

Cloud blinked, and left the room.

Hojo walked to Lucrecia and Reeve. "Yes, it went perfectly. And the great thing is, no-one will ever know that we cloned Sephiroth into Cloud." He grinned wickedly and picked up his phone to call shachoo.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud walked slowly down the hallway to his room. _I feel really strange…_ he thought. _I feel soo woozy now… and much heavier, as if I'm carrying something very heavy on my back…_ he opened the door to his room and fell down onto his bed. _Where's Zack…? I want to see him again…_

As though answering his thoughts, Zack burst into the room. "Cloud! Cloud!" he ran over to Cloud. "There you are, I've been so worried! What happened, where have you been!"

Cloud sat up when he saw Zack. "Zack, I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me."

"No, I do, Cloud!" said Zack, his eyes ablaze with worry. "I worry about you all the time! I heard everything from the doctor! He said that you had something called the 'stigma' and that it caused you a lot of pain! Is that true! Tell me the truth!" Zack sounded truly concerned.

Cloud widened his eyes a little in surprise. "Za-Zack? You were worried about me all this time?"

"Of course I was!" said Zack, flapping his arms wildly. "I always worry for you! You do many weird things that make me worry! Things like wanting to be alone or things like--like-- Well, things that arouse worry!"

Cloud gasped, and looked down at the ground, blushing slightly. "You… really, you…"

"Cloud," said Zack, placing a hand on Cloud's left arm. "It's the stigma, isn't it? These past month you've been feeling excruciating pain, haven't you?"

Cloud had winced when Zack placed his hand on his left arm, and said quietly, "…ok-okay, Zack… I'm sorry for making you worry…"

"No!" yelled Zack. "Don't be sorry! You have nothing to be sorry about! I should be the one apologizing! I care about you, Cloud, I don't want to see you in pain or suffering! I should have noticed that you were in pain, but I didn't!"

Cloud bit his lip and looked down. "…it's not--"

"It is!" argued Zack. "All of it's my fault! I should have taken better care of you! I should be more aware if you have any problems! I caused this for you, when I deleted the program!"

"Zack, I don't blame you for anything at all! All that has happened to me, I don't blame you!"

"You don't? But, Cloud…"

Cloud unconsciously clenched at the bed, reaching with his right hand to hold on to his left. "Zack… the stigma _does_ make me feel pain… but seeing you distressed over me makes me feel twice as bad…"

Zack stared at Cloud in shock. "Cloud? You're arm…?"

"It does--" Cloud cut himself off, looking away from Zack, feeling his eyes water slightly. _No, don't cry in front of Zack… he…_

"Cloud…" said Zack, saddening slightly. "Do you need a hug?"

Cloud looked around at Zack in astonishment. "I--I… No, I don't…"

"Yes, you do," said Zack with a sad smile, wiping away a tear from Cloud's face. "Tell me you need a hug. I'll give you a hug."

"…Zack…" said Cloud, beginning to tear up a little. "I'm sorry I never told you…! But I didn't ant to worry you… Zack, I care for you! Deeply!" he wiped his own tears away. "But I…"

"Not another word," said Zack, and he reached over and gave Cloud a big hug. "Remember that I'm here for you, Cloud. I'm here for whatever you need me for. If it hurts, or makes you cry, or whatever, share it with me. We're friends, remember? After all, it'd be selfish of you to keep all that pain to yourself."

Cloud looked up at Zack and let out a laugh. "Zack…" he said, pulling himself closer to Zack.

Zack patted Cloud's head. "There, there," he said like a father would to a fretful son.

Cloud, however, took it as otherwise; he reddened deeply, and sniffled. "Th-Thank you, Zack…"

"Now, it's time for you to get some rest," said Zack. "Lay down and make some room. I'm joining you."

"Wha…?" asked Cloud faintly, looking up at Zack again. "You're gonna…?"

"You need me here, to be with you," said Zack with a smile. "I'll watch you all night to make sure you're warm and safe and snug!" Cloud blushed again, and laid down on the bed, well aware of Zack laying down on the other side. "Good night, Cloud!" said Zack cheerfully. "And if anything happens, wake me up right away!"

"Good night…" answered Cloud, and he and Zack fell asleep side-by-side like friends usually do. That night proved to the world one thing: Zack and Cloud were now the best of friends, forever and ever, and nothing would ever change that.  
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Aaw. This was a sweet chapter, don't you agree:3 I love cute warm little fuzzies like these! I hope you do too! Oh, and quick warning on the next chapter: There _might_ be a lot/some blood, as there's gonna be a final BERSERK battle next chapter. I always wondered what it'd be like to have Cloud battle Sephiroth with geostigma, so I'll find that out next chapter! MWAAHAHAHHAAAHA!  
Mario: **Enter the sadistically demented battle-scene writer Fairy Red person…  
**I know, I can't wait:D See you in a bit! Hopefully.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **It's not good to be a sadist, Fairy Red.

**A/N: **I know, but I enjoy it! -smiles evilly-  
**Mario: **Mama mia, get the mop and buckets ready, there's gonna be a BIG bloody boss fight!  
**Muses: **-gets ready to clean up bloody mess-  
**Me: **It's not gonna be _that_ bloody…-stares at Muses weirdly, then shrugs- Lets continue!

**Chapter Seventeen: The Final BERSERK Fight**  
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Cloud was the first one awake. The first thing he felt was Zack's arms around him. Thrilling thoughts went through his mind until he saw that Zack was holding the pillow too, snoring loudly. Cloud sighed, and was about to get up. _Eh… Five more minutes, _thought Cloud, and he snuggled himself closer to Zack with a bright bunny smile.

At that moment, however, the door flew open. "Cloud, have you seen Zack? We've been…" the two SOLDIERs stopped in their tracks upon the sight they saw. "Uh…" hesitated one SOLDIER, scratching the back of his head.

Zack shot up. "Wazhappn!" he asked.

"Are we interrupting something?" asked the other SOLDIER. "We'll leave if we did."

"Interrupt what?" asked Zack groggily, rubbing his eyes.

Cloud sighed. _Damn it, he was right there…! _

"Uhm, it's a bit unusual to come into someone's room and see two guys entwined in the same bed," said the other SOLDIER, scratching the back of his head.

"Huh? Oh, this?" asked Zack, pointing at Cloud. "Nah, this was temporary, we didn't do anything. Friends usually share the same bed, you know."

"Oh, okay," said one SOLDIER. "Anyway, we've been looking for you, shachoo wants to see you right away."

"He does?" asked Zack, hopping out of the bed. "Why?"

"He says it involves the 'BERSERK' program. You'd better wake Cloud up and bring him with you."

"Okay, I'll wake him up," said Zack. "Thanks for telling me."

"No problem, Zack," said the other SOLDIER, and they both left the room.

"Hey, Cloud," started Zack, giving Cloud a poke.

"I'm awake," sighed Cloud, sitting up. "Shachoo wants to see us about the 'BERSERK' program?"

"I guess so," said Zack. "Anyway, we'd better hurry, let's go," said Zack, heading for the door.

Cloud jumped out of bed and hurried over to Zack, and together, they walked up to shachoo's office.

Shachoo looked up from his desk. "Ah, Zack, I see you brought Strife with you. I'd rather he not hear this bit, but oh well. The Turks tell me that they have completely perfected the BERSERK program. Now all we need is to see it in action."

"In action, sir?" asked Zack, though he had a good idea of what was coming next.

"Yes. You are to give the BESERK program one final test run. And I shall observe this program myself. Strife, you are to go and challenge Sephiroth to another fight. I hear you've defeated him twice already. A third time would certainly be something Sephiroth will want to prevent."

"But--But the two times I defeated him, it wasn't my own skill, it was the BERSERK program!" protested Cloud.

"That matters not, Strife. The BERSERK program is exactly what I want to see. Go now and challenge Sephiroth, there's something else I need to tell Zack in private."

"But I…" started Cloud, then he looked down with a resigned sigh. "Okay, sir, I'll find Sephiroth right away…" he turned and left the room.

Zack looked back at the closed door and back at shachoo. "What is it you have to tell me, shachoo? What is it that I can hear it, but it's not for Cloud's ears?"

"You know it already, don't you Zack?" asked shachoo, standing up and walking to the window. "You knew it was going to happen when Hojo took Cloud from the infirmary to where Jenova was held."

Zack didn't respond right away. "Well…" he hesitated. "I guess I knew… I mean, many SOLDIERs knew it was going to happen. Hojo likes to think it's in complete secret, but he knows that everyone knows of his plans."

"And what were those plans, Zack?"

"…Hojo used Cloud to make him a clone of Sephiroth. Cloud is a clone of Sephiroth…" the words were pushed out, Zack didn't enjoy the sentence at all.

"That's right. Can you imagine Sephiroth's reaction if he finds out? Maybe he will when they fight. Oh, by the way, the stigma can greatly effect this battle," said shachoo, facing Zack. "I think this battle could be one of Cloud's last, don't you think?"

"I don't think so, sir," said Zack, clenching a fist unconsciously. "Cloud is strong enough to fight on his own. He could have defeated Sephiroth that one time if Sephiroth didn't cheat. Even Sephiroth knows that; that someone here is better then him. And I think that someone is Cloud."

The shachoo raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Brave words, Zack," he said at last. "Very brave words. Let us hope you're not wrong. Now let's go to Sephiroth and Cloud and see the final test run of BERSERK. Come on."

Zack opened his mouth to say something but shachoo already pushed past him towards the door, beckoning for Zack to follow him. He sighed and followed. _Whatever happens in this battle… I can't…I'll just wait it out a bit… I don't want to use BERSERK on Cloud again…_

**With Cloud…**

Cloud looked around all over Shinra, but he couldn't find Sephiroth. "That's odd… he wasn't in his room, he wasn't in the cafeteria… He wasn't in the dueling hall, nor the library, nor the Chocobo Garden… where could he be…?" he walked down the hallway and walked outside, and sat down on a bench. "Where could he have gone of he's nowhere inside Shinra…?"

A few SOLDIERs off to the side were walking back inside, chatting excitedly about their Chocobo. Cloud watched them, and sighed. _I'd better go find Sephiroth…_ He stood up and headed for the Chocobo Garden, thinking that he'd try there again.

BAM

"Ouchie!" cried Cloud as he fell to the ground. He had crashed into a certain silver-haired-6-foot-tall someone.

"Watch where you're going, Cloud," said Sephiroth.

"Uh, sorry, Sephy, I was looking for you," said Cloud standing up and dusting himself off.

"Looking for me?" repeated Sephiroth. "Why?"

"Uh… Shachoo wants us to have another fight. This time, I think he said he's gonna watch the battle… Zack will use the BERSERK on me again…"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Does he now?" he asked, looking over at Shinra. "Huh. Very well, if we must. Let's go, I've been wanting to fight you again anyway."

Sephiroth walked towards Shinra, and Cloud was about to follow until some things on the ground caught his eye. It was a few scattered black feathers. "…?" he asked, picking one of the feathers up. "Where did this come from?" A gust of wind blew the rest of the feathers away, but Cloud held on tightly to the one he held. "I didn't see these until…" Cloud gasped in surprise. "Wait, this came from…!"

"Cloud!" yelled Sephiroth from the doorway. "Are you gonna stand there in Lala land forever or what? Come on!"

"Sorry! I'm coming!" called Cloud. He looked at the feather for a couple more seconds, and stuffed it under his shirt, following Sephiroth inside Shinra. _But if that feather came from Sephy… does that mean Sephy really CAN fly!_ thought Cloud as he followed Sephiroth to the dueling hall.

Sephiroth looked up and around and spotted Zack and shachoo from a high spot in the spectators seats. "Well, shachoo," he called, "let us know when to begin!"

"Anytime Zack's ready," called shachoo. He gave Zack a sideways glance. "Well?" he asked. "Do the program. The battle won't start until you do BERSERK, Zack."

Zack hesitated, and looked down at Cloud, who had already drawn his sword. Cloud looked up at Zack, and looked back down at the ground. But Zack understood that quick glance. It meant "no matter what happens I won't blame you". _But kid, you should blame me… I'm the one forcing you to do this…_ Zack swallowed and opened the laptop, opening up to Cloud's programming, and typed up "BERSERK" three times.

**Down with the battle…**

Sephiroth drew Masamune and waited on tenterhooks for Cloud to attack first. _When the BERSERK takes full control of him, I'll know exactly what to do to counter it. For now, I'll just wear him out, and when his moment of exhaustion comes…_ He narrowed his eyes. _But still… He's dead if he defeats me this time…_

Now that BERSERK had taken full control, Cloud was ready to fight. He drew out sword number two and charged at Sephiroth, attacking with both swords. Sephiroth dodged both attacks and parried the third attack, whacking Cloud away with a sword strike. Cloud recovered on his feet and combined swords one and two, and charged again. On the first attack Cloud was parried again, but he quickly defended against Sephiroth's quick attacking. He jumped back to combine sword three with the other two, but had to pull out sword number four to quickly dodge Sephiroth's quick attacks.

"This is nothing!" yelled Sephiroth. "You're just toying with me now! Show me your real stuff!" He readied Masamune and charged quickly at Cloud, who had combined swords four through six now. Cloud jumped high and charged at Sephiroth, using the combined sword to catch Sephiroth off guard, as he pulled out sword number seven to whack Sephiroth away with it. Sephiroth was sent flying, and hit a hand on the wall to recover. He smirked to himself. "Yes, that's much better!"

Cloud gasped as Sephiroth flew high in the air and come down really fast, stabbing Masamune right through Cloud. He let out a yell of pain, but Sephiroth didn't release Cloud from his sword; instead, Sephiroth held Cloud suspended by Masamune for a few seconds with an evil smile. "That'll be a wound that'll be no easy thing to cure!" he said, and threw Cloud off of the blade. Cloud cried out as he hit the wall, and he quickly grabbed his sword and combined it with all eight blades. He glared up at Sephiroth, and leapt to the air, spinning the sword to use the move on Sephiroth again…

**With Zack…**

Zack gripped the edge of his laptop tightly, watching the battle with anxious eyes. _Cloud… Oh, Cloud, be careful…!_

Shachoo, however, seemed to be enjoying the progress of the battle. "This is truly an excellent program," he commented as Sephiroth and Cloud continued to exchange blows. "Even against a BERSERK-ed opponent, Sephiroth puts up a good fight. That just what I expect."

"Sir, even though he's BERSERK-ed, Cloud seems to be having difficulty with this battle… The stigma--"

"I know. I've noticed. If they lock eyes, the stigma will rack Cloud with pain all over again. Cloud was already stabbed once. No doubt the stigma will start reacting soon."

"Sir, do we really have to watch this battle?" asked Zack desperately. "I mean, if the program is already perfect, there's no need for a test run, right? I--I say we stop now!"

"Oh, now, Zack, look, the real battle has just begun. Let's see what Cloud does next," said shachoo with a gesture to the battle field. Zack looked down and felt a thrill of horror. _No, the stigma is acting up again…!_ he thought in fear.

**Down at the battle…**

Cloud had successfully parried all of Sephiroth's attacks and recovered to the opposite end of the battle field. He readied his sword to attack again but felt a pain in his left arm again. With a wince of pain he clutched his left arm. _No, not again…_ he thought. _I don't want to remember…!_

**_Flash: "Sometimes I wish you'd go to Shinra and NEVER come back!" yelled Tifa angrily…_**

He shook his head, tying to clear his head of that unpleasant thought. Sephiroth came quickly and out of nowhere, slashing Cloud's side again. He hit the wall hard, sliding down the wall slowly and painfully. He got to his knees slowly, his eyes flashing dark green and blue. He clenched his left arm again.

**_Flash: A girl that Cloud once had a crush on in Nibelheim named Pansy was telling him that she didn't like him at all…_**

His fist grabbed at the ground; he was completely unaware of Sephiroth attacking again. _I'm enjoying this!_thought Sephiroth. Cloud looked up in shock and quickly defended. He was wincing with one eye while trying to stop the pain in the left arm. Sephiroth whammed Cloud's hand and knocked the weapon away along with Cloud. He slid across the room and rolled to his side. He was cut up pretty badly, and the stigma chose a bad time to rack Cloud with pain.

**_Flash: A lone blonde kid named Cloud is sitting alone on the swings with his head down sadly as the rest of the kids are playing happily on this hills and playgrounds…_**

Cloud coughed heavily, getting to his knees shakily. _I can't handle this!_ he thought desperately, as he stood up to hurriedly defend against Sephiroth's attack. They stood, pushing down on each other's blades, trying to dissuade the other. Cloud pushed back on Sephiroth and attacked again, his eyes still the evil green of the program. He slashed one of Sephiroth's arms; even that began to bleed heavily.

Both stood on opposite sides of the room, awaiting the other to make the first move. The pain in Cloud's left arm slowly subsided, and Cloud and Sephiroth attacked each other again, clanging and clashing their swords; but even as the fight continued, both Cloud and Sephiroth were beginning to feel exhausted. "This can't keep up any longer!" decided Sephiroth aloud, and whammed Cloud with his arm, sending Cloud high in the air; Sephiroth took this advantage to jump high and slash down at Cloud, sending him crashing into the ground.

Cloud sat up against the wall, holding on with one hand. He clutched a hand onto his shirt, tying to catch his breath. Feeling quite as exhausted, Sephiroth walked towards Cloud slowly. "Now, now, surely this is the best a BERSERK-ed warrior such as yourself can do?" Cloud didn't respond, he continued to lean against the wall, slowly catching his breath as his eyes were flashing strangely again. "I suppose not," said Sephiroth with a please grin, and raised Masamune to stab Cloud in the back. Cloud screamed in pain, but he couldn't move away from Sephiroth's blade; Sephiroth laughed to himself and kicked Cloud off of the blade. Cloud fell to the ground with a yell of pain.

**Up with Zack…**

Zack cried out in horror as shachoo grinned widely. "Yes, this is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Good job, Zack."

"Sir, Cloud is… He was… It's not…" Zack's voice was a slight higher pitch then usual in fear. "Can I go down to him!"

"Of course, Zack, now that my work here is done." he patted Zack on the back and walked off. "I'm glad the BERSERK program was a success."

Zack stood there wide-eyed with intense fear and jumped down to Cloud. "Cloud! Hey, Cloud!"

Sephiroth sheathed Masamune with an air of self-satisfaction. "There, now my past errors are deleted. Take good care of your friends, Zack. Now I have no reason to hate you or Cloud."

"Sephiroth…!" said Zack, looking up at Sephiroth, but he didn't answer, he just left the room. Zack gritted his teeth and held Cloud up. "Oi, Cloud! It's okay, it's all right! I'm here."

Cloud was wincing greatly, and blinked his eyes weakly. "Za--Zack…? I'm sorry… I tried to fight it, but… it's was too much…"

"No, no talking," said Zack firmly. "It's not your fault. Come on, I'll take you to the doctor."

"I wanted to fight for you, as well as Tifa… I promised her that I'd become stronger for her…. But the way I am now, I'll never be stronger…"

"Cloud, you're perfect, you'll become stronger," said Zack, helping Cloud to his feet. "Hold on to me, I'll take you to the doctor."

"Zack…" said Cloud, holding Zack closely. "I--I really… I…" Cloud stopped with a small whimper of pain, grabbing his left arm again. "It hurts…"

"It's okay, Cloud, I'm here," said Zack, holding Cloud close too. "I'm here. Hold on to me as tightly as you want, I'm here."

Cloud blinked a tear away, and fell onto Zack, exhausted from severe blood loss. "Zack, I… love…" he fainted away.

Zack looked down at Cloud with a small sad smile. "Poor Cloud… I'm sorry to have put you through this… I'm glad it's all over… I'll never do anything to hurt you again…. Really… I'll take better care of you from now on." As Zack carried Cloud to the infirmary, shachoo headed for his office.

"I'm glad that's over with…" sighed shachoo. "Now that BERSERK is perfected and successfully tested, I can deal with this other problem…" he opened the door to his office, called up his secretary and said, "Okay, tell him that he can come to my office now. We have a great deal to discuss regarding the outer space project…"  
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**Wow, that was AWESOME MAN!  
Muses: **-cleaning up big bloody mess-  
…**? You guys act so weird. Huh. Anyway, as always, thanks for reading! I'm glad you like it! Stay tuned for the next installment of "Life as a SOLDIER". See you in a bit!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…thanks for the reviews…and…uh…thanks.

**A/N: **…yeah. Uh… Yeah. Enter Cid Highwind. God, we're running out of things to say up here… -anime sweat drop- Let's continue.  
**Chapter Eighteen: Enter Cid Highwind, Shinra's (ex)Finest Astronomer!**  
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Shachoo sat at his desk, writing up a report on the success of the BERSERK program when the door opened. "Uh, sir, the secretary said you'd see me now?" A blonde-haired man of about 25 years old entered the room.

"I sure do, Highwind. Take a seat, please."

The man took a seat across from shachoo's desk, twiddling his hands nervously. He knew that shachoo only talked like that when he was downright furious.

"Well, well, I must say, Highwind, I expected much better from you. Much, much better. But apparently, your whole heart wasn't in the project, was it?"

"Of course it was! I wanted to do that project very much!"

"Then tell me why we spent over twenty-million gil on this project, only for _you _to fall asleep?"

"Uhm…" he stalled, scratching the back of his head.

"You're a disgrace! A complete imbecile!" Shachoo stood up and paced the room. "Have you any idea how much twenty-million gil is?"

"A lot, sir?"

"It's a DAMN lot!" yelled shachoo, pounding the desk with a fist. "A goddamn lot, Highwind! And guess what that means, Highwind."

"I'm fired?"

"That's right! You. Are. Fired. Now get the hell out of my sight before I decide to use you for tests."

"Aah! I'm leaving right away, sir!" he sprinted for the door, and stopped suddenly, looking back. "But, sir, what about my paycheck?"

"OUT!"

"Aaah!" yelled the man, and he hurried out of the room with his arms flying above him. He hopped into his car and drove away from Shinra before shachoo changed his mind.

Shachoo shook his head. "What an idiot…" he sighed. "Twenty-million gil on that space project… how could he get drunk the night before…? Bah, no matter…" he sighed and sat down again. "…huh, how nice, I took care of two annoying problems today: I successfully saw the perfected BERSERK program _and_ got rid of an annoying nuisance. What joy…"

**Meanwhile, at the 7th Heaven Bar…**

Tifa opened up her e-mail and smiled. There was one unread message from Cloud.

**_To: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**

_**From: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com **_

_**I'll make sure to watch out for myself in Midgar. I can't wait to see you either! Cloud Strife**_

"It's been a while since we last e-mailed each other," reflected Tifa. She was about to type up a response when the door flew open. "Hah!" she yelped in surprise. "Ah, sir, um, the bar isn't open yet," she said to the man who entered the bar.

"It's not?" asked the man as he sat down at the bar. "But, I really need a drink… when does the bar open?"

"It opens in another hour, sir… Bad day?" she asked.

"The worst…" sighed the man, slumping his head onto the bar. "I got fired from a high-paying job for a stupid mistake I made…"

"Wow, that is terrible," said Tifa sympathetically. "Maybe I'll get you a drink early, and you can tell me about it."

"Thanks," mumbled the man with a long sigh.

"Here, drink this, it's a bottle of Chateaux '90.."

"Is that okay?" asked the man as he took the bottle.

"It's plenty okay, I have over a million of those. Now let's talk. I'm all ears." Tifa leaned on the bar to listen to the mans story.

The man went on to explaining that he took a job at Shinra Company as the astronomer, but the night before, he got drunk pretty bad on a dare, and fell asleep in the spaceship, and was stuck asleep for a whole year. "And now… I'm just some useless bum off the street looking for a job…"

"You need a job, I got a job for you," said Tifa, standing up and pulling out a waiter's outfit. "I need someone to help me out here anyway."

"Wow! Are you serious?"

"I sure am. You seem helpful, and I need someone older to help me take care of this bar anyway."

"Sweet! This is like a gift from thou Lady Luck! O Lady Luck, thank you!" yelled the man.

Tifa stared at the man weirdly and flipped him a contract. "Here, just sign this and you'll be signed up to work."

The man signed his name with a flourish. "Here you go," he said happily.

Tifa read the signature and let out a gasp of surprise. "Cid Highwind!" she exclaimed. "You mean you are _the_ Cid Highwind! I thought you were just some bum for real, but you're… Wow!"

"What, you didn't know?" He drew himself to full height. "I am Cid Highwind, Shinra's (ex)Finest Astronomer!"

"Whoa… Uh, wow, that's cool," said Tifa. "Anyway, go get some sleep, I'll let you stay at the bar, okay? You can have the room across from the guest room."

"Sure thing," said Cid cheerfully, and he trottled upstairs to go get some sleep.

"…the Cid Highwind," repeated Tifa. "Amazing, I always wanted to go to outer space… too bad he fell asleep throughout the whole journey otherwise he could tell me about it…. I gotta tell Cloud about this!"

**_To: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**

_**From: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**Hey, Cloud, I got something exciting to tell you! I'm sure you've heard of him: Cid Highwind, the Shinra's (ex)Finest Astronomer has come to work at my bar! He got fired from Shinra apparently, and was looking for a job so I decided to give him one. I need someone older to help me manage by uncle's bar anyway. **_

_**What about you, Cloud? I bet many new good things have happened to you! Remember to tell me, all right? Okay, bye! **_

_**Tifa Lockhart**_

**Meanwhile, over at Shinra Company…**

Good things weren't exactly how Cloud would have defined the times he was going through now. The doctor was devastated to see the damage Cloud had sustained in that uneventful battle. "These are terrible wounds!" he exclaimed. "Oh, ay me!"

"You can cure him, right?" asked Zack.

"I can, sure… Oh, just lay him onto the bed, I can cure this… Not the first time I cured wounds this bloody…"

Zack laid Cloud onto the infirmary bed. "I want to stay by him," he said.

"Are you sure? I'm going to have to bring in a lot of blood to make up for what he lost."

Zack hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I'll stay by Cloud! I can overcome my weakness to stay by him! He needs me!"

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "If you say so," he said. "but curing him will be a hard thing to do, the stigma might make it near impossible…"

"It matters not!" said Zack. "If he needs any blood, just tell me! I'll give all I have!"

"Okay, I'll hold you to that," said the doctor. "Just give me space, I can cure this… I hope."

Zack heaved a shuddering sigh, sitting on the bed next to Cloud. "I hope he'll be okay…"

The door opened and Zack's two friends came in. "Dude, we came as soon as we heard! Is Cloud okay!"

"I'm… not sure," said Zack, glancing at Cloud. "The doctor says he'll do what he can, but the stigma…"

"Stigma?" asked the other SOLIDER.

"Yeah, remember, I told you about it, didn't I?"

"In passing," said one SOLDIER. "But you never told us in detail."

"Okay, I'll give you a brief explanation. The stigma, or 'geostigma' for scientific terms, is some kind of infection that effect the mind and body. It fills you with pain all the while making you remember many memories, happy or sad."

"Oh," said the other SOLDIER.

"So it's a bad infection?" asked one SOLDIER.

Zack sighed sadly. "I'm afraid it is…. I caused it too, I erased Cloud's programming once…"

"Wha? Zack, you deleted someone's program? You know that you weren't supposed to do that!"

"I know that! But I… I had no choice, I caused an error, and it was too complicated to fix…"

"What kind of error?"

"I don't know, but it caused Cloud to go insane…"

"Oh, gee, we're sorry, Zack! We didn't mean to bring it up!"

"No, no, its okay, I don't blame you or anyone else…" he glanced at Cloud with sad eyes. "But I'll never forgive myself for putting him through it all…"

"Zack, buddy…" said the two SOLDIERs.

"Zack, if you're gonna really give your own blood to him, stick out your wrist, I'm gonna need two needle fulls," said the doctor, pulling out two needles .

"Of course!" yelled Zack, holding out his arms dramatically. "Take all that you need! All of it!"

"…I said I only needed two needle fulls," said the doctor, staring at Zack weirdly. "Don't worry, I'm not hurting you."

"Oh, okay," said Zack with relief, taking care to not look at the blood-filled needles.

"He should be okay in about a day or so," said the doctor, now applying the two blood-filled needles to Cloud. "You can rest easy now."

"The stigma won't hurt him throughout the process, will it?" asked one SOLDIER anxiously.

"No, it won't hurt him, it hasn't hurt him so far. As long as Hojo-sama doesn't hear about this… I mean, his perfected clone of Sephiroth beaten to a pulp… Bad news has always made Hojo-sama a little eee…"

Suddenly Cloud shot up. "Aah!" he yelled, holding his left arm. "Stop that!"

Everyone stared at Cloud. "Uh… How are you feeling?" asked the doctor.

Cloud glared at the doctor. "Where am I! I'll take you all on together!"

"Whoa, Cloud!" exclaimed Zack, covering his mouth. "It's just us, Cloud. See? Me, and my two friends, and the doc."

He uncovered Cloud's mouth. "Where's Sephy!" Cloud demanded.

Zack blinked. "Uh, Sephy is in his room, gloating over his victory…"

"Victory?" repeated Cloud, looking confused now.

"…you don't remember," said Zack slowly, exchanging glances with the two SOLDIERs and the doctor.

"Remember? Remember what?" asked Cloud looking around. "What's going on? Why am I in the infirmary?"

"Cloud, you were… brutally beat up by Sephiroth, and now you're here recovering in the infirmary…" Zack trailed off, and walked over to Cloud and hugged him.

"…?" asked Cloud, returning the hug awkwardly.

"Well!" said the doctor, looking a mix of relieved and confused. "I'm glad you recovered so quickly. You're not feeling dizzy or nauseous, are you?"

"I'm feeling a bit woozy," admitted Cloud.

"Do you want to stay here longer or do you want to be discharged?" asked the doctor, placing a hand on Cloud's forehead.

Cloud glanced sideways at Zack, who was watching anxiously. He blushed lightly and said to the doctor, "No, it--it's all right, I'll leave now. Thanks for everything."

"No problem," said the doctor walking back to his desk shaking his head. "I'll never guess or figure out how a SOLDIER's immune system works… I should've been a pediatrician…"

Cloud looked up at Zack shyly. "You… You were here the whole time, Zack?"

"Of course!" answered Zack cheerfully. "I'd never abandon a friend in need, Cloud. You should know that by now."

"It's true," said one SOLIDER.

"Now can we move on to lunch?" asked the other SOLIDER.

"Sure," laughed Zack as Cloud hopped off of the infirmary bed. "I hear we're gonna have yummy things for lunch today! And a good hearty lunch will do you good, Cloud!"

"Sure, I'm starving," said Cloud happily, and he and the three of them hurried off to the cafeteria to enjoy their instant macaroni and cheese lunch special.

**Meanwhile, at the 7th Heaven Bar…**

"Who's this?" asked Cid, pointing at a picture frame on Tifa's desk.

"Oh, that's my best friend Cloud," answered Tifa cheerfully, seeing the picture Cid was pointing at.

"Hey, he looks like a SOLDIER," commented Cid. "The outfit certainly looks it."

"That's because Cloud _is_ a SOLDIER," answered Tifa. She picked up the photo, smiling at the Cloud in the photo fondly. "But he's still my best friend ever… We grew up in Nibelheim, even though we never saw each other much. I miss him so much, but he'll become stronger for me… he promised me."

"If you asked me, I'd say you have a small crush on Cloud," said Cid in a teasing tone, tying a red bow tie to his waiter outfit.

"I--I don't…" stammered Tifa, hurriedly replacing the photo back onto the desk. "No, no, he's just a friend! Really, and besides, he already likes somebody else."

"Does he now? Who's the girl?"

Tifa hesitated. This Cid was a funny guy, and he was easy to get along with, and very agreeable, but what would he say if he knew that Tifa's best friend was bisexual? _Ah, I'll let him know anyway_, thought Tifa indifferently. "Well, the one Cloud likes isn't a girl per se."

"No?" asked Cid. "How can the person Cloud likes be anything _but_ a girl?"

"It's… well, different. You see, Cloud's a bit bi, and he likes this guy friend of his called Zack. They're good friends too, and both are in SOLDIER."

"Wait, wait, Cloud is a guy, and he likes a guy named Zack? His best guy friend Zack?" Tifa nodded. "…huh," said Cid. "Odd world. You know," he added, "Cloud kinda reminds me of a Chocobo I once saw."

"Does he now?" asked Tifa. "Yeah, many people say that Cloud reminds them of a Chocobo. I wonder if it's his spikey hair and his blue eyes…?"

"Must be," said Cid. "Back south where I used to live, we had millions of Chocobo like these running around all over the place. I love Chocobo, but the Chocobo I had died a long time ago. He was a very old Chocobo, he dyed after 72 long years of living! It was my grandfather's Chocobo, my father's Chocobo, and when he came to me, it was my Chocobo."

"What was his name?" asked Tifa.

"Cid," answered Cid. "We name every single male in our family Cid. I happen to be Cid VII."

"Ah," said Tifa. "That's interesting… Well, we'll have more orders to look through, and plenty of dishes to wash. You're shaping up to be a fine bartender," said Tifa.

"Alright!" said Cid excitedly, and the two of them went downstairs to take care of bar affairs and so on.  
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**Heh, heh. I thought Cid was a bit funny, so I decided to introduce him into the story. He won't be a main character, but he'll be good comic relief.  
Kazooie: **That's a surprise, Fairy Red HATES comic relief.  
**So what? Even if I don't like it, some readers might, and I have to respect that!  
Kazooie: **Whatever.  
**Huh. Anyway, I'm glad your still reading this… Blah, I say that every chapter… Hmm… uh… BYE! SEE YOU IN A LITTLE BIT! AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Okay? Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Darkness has crept back into the mind of this dark Fairy/Elf.

**A/N: **Oy… It was a terrible weekend… TERRIBLE! Bad things happened to me… I can't even begin to describe them… AH! I need to take my angst and my horror and my tragedy… I won't even go into detail about it, but this chapter should give you a good idea about what happened… I'm sorry if this chapter seems too dark when compared to the light-hearted one of the last chapter, but… I _need_ to let it out! -sniffle- Please try to understand… Uh, let's carry on…

**Chapter Nineteen: A New Horror Named Death**  
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"Listen up, first class SOLDIERs," barked Bruce as he paced around the room. "Pretty soon, it'll be time for the annual field training. Those bastards from the other companies are gonna try and destroy all of you, so you must go and destroy them back!"

"Other companies?" repeated Cloud. "I thought Shinra was the only company here."

"It is the only company here," said Zack, looking slightly uncomfortable. _I forgot about this completely… What should I say to him?_

"Out of all 64 of you," continued Bruce, "only 20 of you will be assigned to this field mission! If you are one of the twenty, you'll be informed via e-mail. If you don't have e-mail now, I suggest you go get one!"

Cloud looked up at Zack. "Zack? What does that mean? If Shinra is the only company, then what are the other companies is Bruce talking about?"

"So now that that announcement is over, let's continue with the regular training!"

Cloud looked over to Sephiroth, but he was already walking to the front of the room with Bruce and two other first class SOLDIERs. "Zack, what does it mean?" he asked, looking up at Zack with confused blue eyes.

"…I'll--I'll tell you later," said Zack as he led Cloud to a clear corner for training. "Field training is… it is…"

"Okay, tell me later," sighed Cloud.

"…okay, I'll tell you now," said Zack, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. "Field training is… where SOLDIERs learn how to kill."

"Learn to kill!" repeated Cloud, looking incredibly surprised.

"Yes, Cloud… It's like a core class here at SOLDIER… Twenty first class SOLDIERs are chosen at random to go and kill off the other companies… or in other words, test dummies created for this purpose alone…"

"But--But why would Shinra teach their SOLDIERs how to kill?" asked Cloud, looking quite horrified. "If Shinra is a good company, then there's no need for learning how to kill, right Zack!"

Zack didn't answer right away, and he looked away before answering. "Sometimes good companies have bad people running them, Cloud…"

"But… That's not right!" cried Cloud. "They can't actually do that, can they?"

"They do it every year… Ever since Shinra Company got started… Cloud, you'll be chosen to go on this mission. I know, shachoo sent me an e-mail regarding the field training. You'll be going, but I won't be."

"What! I-I can't go, I've never…" Cloud trailed off hopelessly, shaking his head. "Why didn't you tell me before about this?"

Zack lowered his head. "I thought that if you knew, you'd want to leave… And I don't want you to leave Shinra…"

Cloud blinked in surprise, looking up at Zack. "You mean…? You want me here?"

"Cloud, listen to me," said Zack urgently, kneeling down slightly so he could look Cloud in the eye. "Sephiroth will be going too, he always goes. But he'll try to make you kill, Cloud, and I don't want you to kill."

"What do you mean?" asked Cloud, his eyes shaking with a new fear.

"You're innocent, Cloud. I know you are. But once you take your first life, your innocence is shattered, destroyed. I won't let you be broken, Cloud! So you have to leave your swords here, okay? They haven't seen death, and it's too early for you to try to kill."

"But I--"

"You can take my weapon. When the time comes, take my weapon with you. Just in case."

"Okay… When do we leave for field training?" asked Cloud, looking towards the front of the group where Bruce, Sephiroth, and the two other SOLDIERs were talking.

"Usually it's the day after they announce the field training," said Zack. "Most likely you'll be leaving tonight, though… Cloud, when you get to Midgar, find your friend Tifa, okay? Find her and make your way to the church. Aeris might not be around at that time, but the church is always safe. And whatever you may do, do not look for Sephiroth."

"Why not?" asked Cloud.

"Because he'll be… Sephiroth is… Just--Just don't look for Sephiroth, okay? Be very careful not to."

"Okay…"

_Cloud, I'm sorry to put you through something else so terrible so soon… Please, don't let him see death so soon…_

The four SOLDIERs at the front of the room seemed to have reached an agreement, and faced the room. "Okay, we've reached a decision! We're all going to chose five SOLDIERs each, while the rest have to stay here and hide like a girl! We'll notify the twenty chosen by 7:30 PM tonight, for we leave at 10:00 PM!"

"We have to leave right away?" asked another SOLDIER, asking Cloud's question. "Why? Can't we leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" agreed another SOLDIER. "If one of us is the chosen twenty, we'll miss dinner!"

"Dinner is unimportant in the face of field training!" yelled Bruce, making the whole room flinch. "What's important is defending Shinra Company from others who want to harm the company."

"Training is dismissed early," said Sephiroth more calmly. "Go on to your rooms and think things over, check e-mails, and whatever. But if you're one of the chosen twenty-" for a split second his eyes fell to Cloud, then he looked over the room "-be ready to leave for Midgar so that we may defend it. On your way."

Cloud looked up at Zack. "Can--can we talk about this?"

"Sure, Cloud, come with me," said Zack, sheathing his sword and taking Cloud up to his room. "I'm sorry I never told you about field training," started Zack apologetically, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But, now I know I should have told you, Cloud…"

"I understand your reason for not telling me," said Cloud quietly, sitting down next to Zack. "But…. I'll let you know, Zack, because of you, I'll never leave Shinra or SOLDIER…"

Zack looked at Cloud in surprise. "Because of _me_?" he asked.

Cloud nodded, not meeting Zack's gaze. "Everything that's happened to me in Shinra so far, you've been here to help me… Through all of it. I'd never dream of leaving."

"You mean it?"

"I mean it!" said Cloud, looking up at Zack with something like fierce determination. "You are… the best friend I ever had, next to Tifa."

Zack smiled sadly. "But Cloud, tonight, I'm sending you to a place where your innocence could be shattered… And I'll feel terrible for you…"

"I won't blame you, Zack," said Cloud. "I never will blame you… I'll do my best top do exactly as you say…" he looked back down at his feet, his heart thudding heavily inside of him. _Because, I feel for you, Zack, in a very new and wonderful way… and I don't want you sad or upset on my account…_

"Thank you, Cloud, that makes me feel worlds better!" Zack put an arm around Cloud. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'm not sure…. But I'll try."

"Okay. Now, how about you e-mail Tifa and warn her about this, so she knows where to find you and where to go and so on."

"Oh right! Good idea!" Cloud stood up and hurried to his laptop, turning it on and opening up his e-mail. "Ah! An e-mail from Tifa!"

**_To: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**

_**From: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**Hey, Cloud, I got something exciting to tell you! I'm sure you've heard of him: Cid Highwind, the Shinra's (ex)Finest Astronomer has come to work at my bar! He got fired from Shinra apparently, and was looking for a job so I decided to give him one. I need someone older to help me manage by uncle's bar anyway. **_

_**What about you, Cloud? I bet many new good things have happened to you! Remember to tell me, all right? Okay, bye! **_

_**Tifa Lockhart**_

Cloud saddened as he read the e-mail. "Good things…" he repeated. "Oh, I wonder who Cid is? I heard of him once… But now I can help Tifa and her new friend then… Oh, how I hate having to bring to her bad news when she seems so happy…"

_**To: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**From: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com **_

_**I'm sorry, but I'm afraid good things aren't happening here at Shinra… You see, Shinra Company is going to send something like test subjects to Midgar to attack and destroy, and twenty of us first class SOLDIERs are going to have to… Well, we'll have to kill them.**_

_**I'm not going to kill anyone though; I'm going to find you and your friend Cid and take you both to the church. According to Zack, it should be safe place to stay. Maybe Aeris will be at the church and… I dunno, protect you all or something.**_

_**I'm scared, but don't worry about me. I'll meet up with you outside of the 7th Heaven Bar tonight, okay? I'll find you without fail; you can count on that! Cloud Strife**_

Cloud hit the send button with shaking hands. _I never expected anything like this… Why did something like this have to spring up _now_ of all times in the world…?_

"Cloud?" asked Zack. "I'll try to see if I can go with you, okay? Would that make you feel better?" Cloud nodded wordlessly, staring at the bed with scared eyes. Zack walked over to Cloud and placed a hand on Cloud's shaking ones. "I'm with you, Cloud, no matter what happens."

"Ok--Okay, Zack," said Cloud, feeling slightly calmer with Zack's hand against his own. "Thank you…"

Zack was about to agree when the door knocked. "Cloud! Are you in there?" Sephiroth opened the door, poking his head in. "Come on, Cloud, we're leaving. We've assembled our twenty, and you're one of them."

"Isn't Zack coming too?" asked Cloud, looking greatly frightened that they were leaving right away.

"No, Zack has to stay here," said Sephiroth. "Let's go."

Cloud looked back at Zack, who nodded and said, "Of course, Sephiroth, but first, I have to tell Cloud something. In private."

"Very well," said Sephiroth, narrowing his eyes. "Make it quick, we leave in twenty minutes."

"Sure," said Zack, and turned to Cloud after Sephiroth left. "Here, Cloud, leave your swords here. If you're forced to kill, I don't want your blades to taste the blood."

"Su-Sure…" stammered Cloud, taking all the swords and setting them on the table. "But what weapon will I take instead then?"

"Take mine," said Zack, unsheathing his sword and placing it in Cloud's hands. "This sword have seen blood, and have tasted it. It might even want more blood to taste. But do your best not to kill, Cloud." He put his hands on Cloud's shoulders so he could look Cloud straight in the eye. "You're someone very special, Cloud. I don't know how or why, but I can sense it. You have something to give to the world, and you can't become that if you become a killer. Remember, don't look for Sephiroth, okay?"

"I understand," said Cloud, sheathing Zack's sword. "I'll try not to…"

Zack sighed with relief. "Okay… So I guess I won't be going… Cloud, really… Be careful. Those test subjects are programmed to kill anyone and anything on sight… Hopefully Tifa got the e-mail in time to warn her friend to go to the church."

"I hope so…" said Cloud, turning to walk to the door. "Zack," he started suddenly, looking back. "I want to--"

But Zack held up a hand to stop Cloud. "Whatever your thinking of saying to me, say it when you get back. I don't want your mind to be wandering elsewhere when you reach Midgar."

"But I… Okay, Zack… I'll see you later…" Cloud left the room and closed the door. _If I don't come back, this could be the last time I'll ever see Zack,_ realized Cloud as he made his way downstairs to where the twenty first class SOLDIERs were assembled.

"Are we all here?" barked Bruce. "Okay, into the vans, let's go!"

Cloud felt a hand grab his wrist and looked up at Sephiroth in surprise. "Sephy? What are you doing?"

"I'm taking us through a shortcut," answered Sephiroth, leading Cloud away from the vans. "I always take this route… Quite frankly, I just get there so fast it's like I _flew_ there…"

"Sephy?" asked Cloud again, looking slightly worried at the maniacal gleam in Sephiroth's eyes.

Sephiroth suddenly took off, dragging Cloud along behind him. "Awa!" yelled Cloud. "Not--Not so fast!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sephiroth. "We're here already… Much faster then it would have taken the others. Oh, and we're just in time, Midgar is already aflame."

Cloud gasped out loud at the horrific sight that lay before him: Midgar was certainly aflame, the raising smoke said it all. From the distance, Cloud could hear the panicked voices of civilians, and screams and shouts in the distance. The sky was extremely dark, with a few stars shining here and there. It looked as if Midgar was surprise attacked. "Oh my god…!" breathed Cloud, taking an involuntary step back.

"It's not that bad," said Sephiroth with a fond look at the flaming city. "I look forward to field training every year… But if you don't want to join me in the free-for-all, then go on and find your friend. If she's still alive," he added with an evil smirk, and he charged towards the city.

"…! Tifa! Don't worry, I'm coming…!" Even though fear racked through his whole body, Cloud hurried to Midgar, trying to find the familiar sights of the 7th Heaven Bar in the hazy smoke and scattering embers. "Tifa!" he yelled. "Tifa, are you here?"

"Cloud! Oh, Cloud, you came!" Tifa spotted Cloud and she hurried towards him. "We have to get away!" she said, her eyes bright with fear.

Cid was close behind Tifa. "I managed to get a few bottles of wine from the cellar, especially Chateaux '90!"

"Cid, thank you!" said Tifa appreciatively. "Now I can rest easier… but Cloud, where can we go? I can't see very well in the haze!"

"Neither can I," answered Cid.

"I know where to go," said Cloud, taking both Tifa's and Cid's hands. "Follow me!" he hurried the two to the church, which miraculously seemed unharmed. "We'll be safe in here!" the entered the church and closed the door.

"I got your e-mail, but as soon as I got ready to try to warn everyone, I heard a terrible explosion. There was several of them!" Tifa sat down on a bench, still clutching the bottle of Chateaux '90.

"And all were big and-a quacking," said Cid, sitting on the other bench. "There was even an explosion across the street! I looked outside and saw that the city was on fire. So many of them… them monsters where there, they looked like aliens or something…" he shuddered. "No one minds if I smoke, do they?"

"Not at all," shivered Tifa.

"How did Cloud know about this?" asked Cid, taking out a packet of cigarettes and lighting one.

Cloud didn't answer; instead he walked over to a pillar and leaned against it, holding his left arm unconsciously. _It's acting up again… But I won't let it bother me now…_

"Cloud?" asked Tifa, looking over at Cloud. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," answered Cloud, facing Tifa and Cid. "I knew this was coming because Bruce told us. All of us first class SOLDIERs take a class called field training… it's where you learn to kill."

"You told us that," said Tifa. "In your e-mail. But how were you chosen for this? You're still practically a green SOLDIER, you have no real experience in killing or fighting or anything!"

"That's why they chose me, along with twenty others… they're not here yet though…"

"Then how'd you get here so fast?" asked Cid, dusting the cigarette off.

"Sephy took me here, he got here fast and decided to take me along…" he trailed off, remembering Zack's warning before he left.

"Who's Sephy?" asked Cid.

"Sephy is Cloud's nickname for Sephiroth, the best of Shinra's SOLDIERs," answered Tifa and turned back to Cloud. "But if so, why did he bring _you_ of all twenty?"

"I…have no idea," said Cloud quietly, staring at the flower garden. "Is Aeris here? I haven't seen her…"

"No, I don't' think she is," said Tifa, looking around. "I certainly don't sense her around. She has this… I don't know, peaceful aura about her, and I don't feel it right now…"

"But this church is her safe haven?" Cid looked around. "This place seems to be the only building that's unharmed. Maybe that's her magic as the last Cetra?"

"You know about that?" asked Cloud in surprise.

Cid shrugged. "Who hasn't heard of her? Aeris has been the biggest target for Shinra for the longest time, but she's always evaded them. I'm not surprised that she built this place as a protection from everything…"

"I guess," sad Tifa looking at the flower garden too.

"I should go try and find other people," decided Cloud, standing up. "I'll be right back."

"But, Cloud, what if you get attacked by someone?" asked Tifa, looking around in shock at Cloud. "You could be killed, or worse…"

Cloud hesitated, then shook his head. "I--I can't just sit here and let innocent people die out there… I just can't!" he walked towards the door. "I'm scared, but… I have to face down my fears, that's a way to become stronger… for you, Tifa, right?"

"Cloud…"

"I'll come back. I will, don't worry," said Cloud, looking back at Tifa and Cid. "You two please wait here… I--I'll be right back…"

"Okay, kid, just be careful," said Cid, albeit looking concerned.

Cloud nodded and left the church, and backed against th door as he closed it. _I have to try… _he thought. _I must! How else can I become stronger if I don't try?_ he let out a shuddering sigh and hurried off into the flame-infested city, searching for survivors. "There were so many people living here," he muttered to himself, squinting his eyes in the dark flames. "There has to be somebody here…"

"OI! Cloud!" yelled a voice.

Cloud jumped and whirled around. "Zack!" he cried in surprise.

Indeed it was Zack. He looked out of breath but relieved all the same. "I couldn't leave you, Cloud!" he said. "Not to a fate like this! I snuck into the back of the van and ran all the way here. I know I could find you here."

"But why? What are you going to do?" asked Cloud.

"I thought I'd help you out. The fighting is all on the other side of town, scattered everywhere, but not near this church. Are we going to try to find civilians?"

"Yes, I wanted to--"

"No!" said Zack firmly. "You get back to the church and _I'll_ go find civilians! I'm better at carrying people, and there's too much of a risk in you accidentally fighting someone or worse… Go back, okay?"

"But Zack, I just…" Cloud looked to the ground, listening the flames roar loudly around them. "I can't… I want to try to help someone…But now that I know you're here…"

"Cloud, I understand. You want to prove yourself to someone, right?" Zack leaned down to Cloud. "But not now, okay? Go back to the church."

"…ok-okay," stammered Cloud, turning around. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will, I always am!" said Zack. "Now hurry!"

Cloud took off into the city, trying to retrace his steps back to the church. _Oh, no! I don't even remember where to go now… I'm lost! I'd better go find Zack again…! _but Cloud stopped and looked around. From what he could tell, this place wasn't anywhere near the church, nor was it near the bar. "Did I go the wrong way?" he asked aloud.

Suddenly, Cloud heard someone's yell being cut off, and a body fall. "Well, that was easy," said a satisfied voice.

"What was easy?" asked Cloud automatically, which he always did when he heard a statement like that. He looked back and froze at what he saw.

Sephiroth was standing before a dead body, shaking his head. "Those things are never a challenge anymore…" He felt someone staring at him and turned to face Cloud. "Ah, Cloud! I'm glad you could make it!" he said as though welcoming him to a party.

"You--you just…" stammered Cloud, now looking at the dead body.

"What, that?" asked Sephiroth, pointing with Masamune at the dead body. "This was no person of any importance… Just a test subject for us first class SOLDIERs to kill. Why haven't you drawn your sword yet?" When Cloud didn't answer, Sephiroth smirked. "I suppose you were thinking you could slip slide out of death, weren't you? That's not a good way to be, Cloud. It's easy, watch this." he looked around and spotted an injured civilian on the ground. "Death isn't so bad when you think about it," he told Cloud. "You see, this person is suffering. It would be cruel of me to just let him live with all that. Come here, Cloud. You'll be doing him a favor if you kill him now."

"I--I can't--" stammered Cloud, wanting to run but his feet were rooted with a new wild fear.

"You can't?" asked Sephiroth with something like a mocking care in his eyes. "Oh, poor little Cloud. Maybe you need an example. Watch." Sephiroth faced the person on the ground and brought Masamune down upon the man's throat, nearly beheading the man; he was dead in an instant. "There. Easy as pie."

"You--you just… killed him…" gasped Cloud, staring in horror at the now-dead man. "He was…"

"Cloud, do you see this?" asked Sephiroth, coming towards Cloud. He raised the bloodstained Masamune up to Cloud's eye level. "Do you see this? Tell me what that red on the sword is."

"…it's--it's blood…"

"That's right, Cloud," said Sephiroth, giving the katana a shake, making a few drops of blood slip off. "Freshly spilt blood. See how dark and red it is? The darker the blood, the more fresh was the death. Swords were created to have blood spilt upon them." With an evil smile, Sephiroth swung the sword away from Cloud, scattering drops of blood everywhere. "Like so."

"…" gasped Cloud, staring with wide-eyed horror at the blood on the ground and on the sword. "That person… he was… you just…"

"Killed him," finished Sephiroth calmly. "One day, you'll come to appreciate the taste and feel of blood. Why not make that day today?" he led Cloud to another injured test subject on the ground. "You saw how it was done, Cloud. Now do as I did. Save this test subject by ending his life. Draw your sword and kill him."

"N-No, I… I can't kill…"

"Yes, you can," said Sephiroth, a cruel simper on his face. "You take your sword-" he took Cloud's hand and made him take out Zack's sword "-hold it at the ready like this-" he made Cloud hold the sword out to the test subject's throat "-and thrust it down onto his throat. Do it, Cloud."

Cloud did nothing, his breath beginning to come in short gasps. "I--But I… he's not…"

"Huh," said Sephiroth, still smiling cruelly, and he thrust Masamune down on the test subject's throat. "If you say so. But you can't deny it for long, Cloud."

"No, it's not right!" cried Cloud suddenly, dropping the sword and falling to his knees. 'It's not… right at… all…"

"No, it's not right," agreed Sephiroth. "But it sure is fun," he added, looking fondly at the burning city around them. "But I'm sure you were led here by accident, weren't you? If you want to run now, go on and run. I'm sure your friend Zack has already gotten your friends out of the city to safety. He might be looking for you." Sephiroth took a step forward, and glanced down at Cloud. "If you don't mind, I'm off to relieve my lust for blood. On your way."

Almost blindly, Cloud hurriedly stood up, sheathed Zack's sword and ran off. He didn't look back to see what Sephiroth was doing; he didn't look to where he was running; he didn't even notice the other bodies on the ground; all he did was run. After a few minutes of running, he made it outside of the city. He was nearly about to give up and fall when he ran into Zack. "…!" he gasped, looking up to see who he ran into. "Za-Zack!" he cried. He buried his face into Zack's shirt.

Zack gasped out loud and held Cloud. "Cloud? What--What happened to you? Why are you shaking?"

Cloud's frame certainly was shaking terribly; his shoulders shook with unheard sobs. "I--I saw him, Zack! I saw him! And he-- he did… he…"

"You--You saw Sephiroth?" asked Zack. "What…What did he do? Did he…?"

"He killed him! He was just an innocent person! Sephiroth just… killed him! And--And that test subject…! He didn't deserve that…! He didn't!" Cloud clenched onto Zack's shirt tightly, keeping his face buried into Zack's shirt. "He didn't deserve that! No one did..! But he just…"

Zack smiled sadly, holding onto Cloud with one arm while stoking his hair with the other. "Oh, Cloud… I'm so sorry I never told you… I should have taken you with me…" he looked up at the burning Midgar with sad eyes. _I shouldn't have left him there at all… I should've been more worried about Cloud…_ "Come, Cloud, we're leaving… We're heading back to Shinra. Tifa and Cid are already there. You can go see them when we go back."

Cloud didn't seem to hear Zack; he still held on to Zack, silently crying onto Zack. "I can't… I can't….!" he cried.

Zack gently led Cloud to the van. "Come, Bruce has offered to drive us home. You can hold on to me the whole way if you like."

"Ok--Okay," sniffled Cloud as he followed Zack into the van. He grabbed Zack's arm tightly, burring his head into Zack's arm.

Zack used his free arm to hug Cloud. "I'm so sorry…" he repeated quietly. "Please forgive me for sending you off on your own…" he closed his eyes as Cloud continued to hold on to him. He opened his eyes to look at Bruce, who was up in the drivers seat. "Is anyone else coming?" he asked.

"Nope, just you and me and Cloud," he answered gruffly, turning the key in the ignition and driving off. He looked into the front view mirror at Zack and Cloud; Zack was still hugging Cloud, soothing him like the father figure he thought himself to be; Cloud, however, held Zack's arm as though his life depended on it, holding on tightly as to not let Zack go. "You were fearing this, weren't you?" he asked.

Zack looked up sadly at Bruce. "It's my fault… I told him to run off alone to find away out… I shouldn't have done it…" He looked back down at Cloud, who seemed to have fallen asleep holding Zack's arm. "What do you think of this?"

"That was you once," answered Bruce quietly, speaking in a new tone of voice, not his usual gruffness. "Just like that was your friends once… That was nearly everyone here at SOLDIER…"

"Everyone except Sephiroth…" finished Zack.

"Sephiroth enjoyed his first kill, and he loves nothing more then killing innocent people… I suppose it's the fault of Shinra for making Sephiroth so evil and murderous…"

Zack bit his lip and looked away. "But…"

"I know," said Bruce, cutting across Zack. "You think Cloud's different. You care for him as if he were your own. You didn't want him to see death so young in his life."

"There never was anyone this young at SOLDIER," said Zack, looking slightly distressed. "Nobody. Not even I was this young when I saw death… No kid should have to see death this early in their lives…"

"You were about twenty, weren't you?" but it wasn't a question; it was a reminder. "Twenty is a young age."

"But sixteen is even younger!" fretted Zack. "I completely screwed up! I wanted to protect Cloud, to shield him from the bad thins in life! From what I read from his profile, he had a terrible life so far! If he didn't have Tifa in his childhood, he might not be alive today!"

"You wanted to be like a father to him because he had no family to raise him… Zack, you're leaning too much blame onto yourself. No matter what could've happened today, there was no way that Cloud was going to leave Midgar without seeing death."

"I just wish I could've done more for Cloud…" said Zack quietly. "I feel like I failed him or something…"

"No matter what happens, though," continued Bruce, "I know Cloud won't blame you. He never will."

"But he should," said Zack sadly, leaning onto Cloud, holding Cloud tightly. "Why won't he blame me, Bruce?"

"If you don't know why, then I won't tell you," said Bruce. "If you ask me, Cloud has made it pretty obvious. You haven't noticed yet, so I'll leave you guessing until you finally figure it out."

"…okay," said Zack. "If you won't tell me, I guess I'll figure it out on my own…"

"Or until Cloud tells you," said Bruce, throwing a huge hint.

Zack didn't notice the hint. "I guess I'll wait then," he said with a shadow of his old smile on his face, and he leaned onto Cloud and said before falling asleep, "Wake me up when we get there…"

"Sure thing," said Bruce, looking into the front view mirror one last time to see the two friends leaning on each other. _One day, those two might have to face many different challenges and such… Either Cloud will give up and realize that Zack just views him as a son; or Zack will feel certain new feelings and feel for Cloud the same way Cloud does for him… One or the other…_  
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…**phew. I managed to get most of my angst out with this chapter. WHEE! I feel worlds better…or not. Hmm. Well, I'll leave it at this for now. Stay tuned for chapter twenty! WOW! Chapter twenty!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…that was kinda dark and depressing. Not up to our usual standards, are we, Fairy Red?

**A/N: **…I suppose not. Oh, well, dark enough for me. And yes, my angst is gone… for now. But… wait a minute, what number is that?  
**Muses: **-checks chapter number- It's a twenty!  
**Me: **Sweet! Celebrate quickly and greatly, we've reached chapter 20! 2-0! Twenty! I've never made it this far before! And its all thanks to you all! -makes bunny smile- Thanks for your support, all of you reviewers!

Oh, bad news, I'm afraid… Cloud won't give up on Zack for a while… I find that sort of thing cute… Really. If it's any consolation, I'll give something away: Zack won't fall for Cloud in this fanfic. I hope that clears things up. And Cloud _is_ gonna kill someone in this fanfic Someone in the plural. But not now. Not for a while now. Thanks as always for your suggestions and comments.

Anyway…onward!

**Chapter Twenty: An Unfortunate Set of Nightmares and Flashbacks**  
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When Cloud woke up, he was laying in his room in Shinra. "…?" He sat up and looked around. Tifa was to his left, sleeping soundly; Cid was on the other side, snoring slightly. "…it did happen…" said Cloud to no one in particular. "It all…" he got out of the bed carefully as to not disturb anyone, and walked to the window. "…happened…" Cloud slumped against the wall and looked out the window with a sad expression, holding his left arm unconsciously.

**Meanwhile…**

Zack was wondering the hallways of Shinra, trying to think of something to say. _What should I say to Cloud…? I could make him forget it ever happened, but… Even if I do, the vision will be in the back of his mind, and it could arouse the stigma again… And Sephiroth, he'll never let Cloud forget… I guess that's Sephiroth's idea of friendship…_ He sighed, reaching a stop at the foot of the stairs. The rest of the SOLDIERS were doing their own free things while eighteen first class SOLDIERs were still killing in Midgar.

"Oh, hey, Zack!" said one SOLDIER cheerfully. "I forgot that you were here too! Do you wanna go dueling or something?"

"Yeah! I got a new move I want to test out," said the other SOLDIER.

Zack shook his head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not," he said. "I…want to be alone for a little bit… to think things over."

"Think things over?" they repeated simultaneously. "Like what?"

"…Cloud came back early from field training," said Zack, looking up the stairs. "He… well, Sephiroth showed Cloud death for the first time."

"No!"

"He did," said Zack, bowing his head slightly. "And Cloud didn't take it in very well… I'm afraid that he might not recover from this…"

"You don't have to worry about Cloud," said the other SOLIDER consolingly. "With you around, he's sure to cheer up! You have this magic ability to cheer anybody and everybody up, no matter the situation!"

"It's not as simple as that," said Zack. "I'm not sure if I can…"

"Why not go see if he's awake and try?" asked one SOLDIER. "Who knows, he might have gotten over it by now, and if you talk to him, he might recover quickly."

"…you're right," said Zack, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I'll go see him now. You two go on and train without me, okay? I'll catch up with you later."

"Sure thing," said the two SOLDIERs and they hurried to the dueling room.

Zack watched them go and hurried upstairs, and went inside Cloud's room. "Oh, you're awake already?" asked Zack.

Cloud glanced back at Zack, and looked out the window again, not answering.

"I guess you are," said Zack, standing next to Cloud and looking out the window too. "It's a beautiful morning."

"But for some people, it won't be… They might not live to see the sun rise again…" Cloud looked down at the ground, tightening the hold on his left arm. "Because they were killed…"

"Cloud, let's sit down and talk about this." Zack sat down at the table, and patted the seat next to him. "We need to talk."

Cloud nodded wordlessly and sat down in the seat next to Zack, staring at the table. He bit his lip, and he said quietly, "Zack, maybe Sephy was right…"

Zack blinked in astonishment. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting. "And--And what do you mean by that?"

"I shouldn't be so weak about it… I shouldn't let myself be dragged down after something like that. I should toughen up."

"No--no-one was expecting you to be so quick about death!" said Zack hurriedly. "Your secrets out in the universe, and you're young, Cloud! Way too young to be seeing death already!"

"How can I expect to become stronger for Tifa if I can't even overcome this first obstacle?"

"Cloud, getting used to death _isn't _becoming stronger! It'll turn you into a killer! I don't want you to become a killer! I care about you and your future, Cloud! Your future lies away from becoming a cold, heartless killer!"

Cloud blinked in surprise and looked up at Zack slowly. "You…care? You meant it when you said…?"

"Of course I meant it, Cloud," said Zack with a smile. "Why would I lie to you?"

"…the last time someone said that, I…" Cloud trailed off, looking down at the table. "I guess I don't…really trust anyone…"

"You trust Tifa. And you trust me."

Cloud's hand twitched for a moment, and he didn't answer.

"…wait, you mean…? You don't trust me or Tifa?"

"…I need to be alone," said Cloud, standing up suddenly. "I'll be down in the garden with Kumo."

"But Cloud--! Wait!" said Zack, standing up too. But Cloud had already reached the door; he glanced back and hurried out of the room. Zack sighed sadly. "Why does he do that? If he would just tell me what's wrong…"

"He was always like that," said Tifa.

Zack jumped and turned around. "Tifa! You scared me! I didn't know you were awake!"

Tifa sat up on the bed cross-legged, glancing at her own hands for a second. "Cloud was always this scared, quiet little kid… Nobody seemed to like him that much… I think everybody knew except him that he had one of Jenova's cells inside of him…"

"Oh…" said Zack, sitting back down. "Am I about to hear Cloud's life story through the eyes of his best friend?"

Tifa nodded, glancing quickly at Cid to make sure she hadn't awakened him. "Yes, I'll tell you the story if you like…" she stood up and sat down at the table across from Zack. "The day I first 'gained his trust'…well, it wasn't a very eventful day for Cloud, you see…"

**Flashback…about 7 years ago…**

Tifa looked into her mirror, fixing her hair. "It never stands up straight," she muttered as she tried to work her bangs away from her face.

"Hey, Tifa, are you almost done in there? The other kids are waiting for you!"

"Sure, I'm coming!" called Tifa, rolling her eyes as she continued to fix her hair. _Men,_ she thought. _Sheesh, you'd think a father would give time for his daughter to fix her hair… Someone has to impress all those kids in this town…_

"Tifa!" yelled her father again.

"All right, all right," said Tifa, giving up on her hair and walking out of the room. "I don't see why _I_ have to go with all of those boys," she said to her father as she tied her shoe laces.

"It's good public getting-used-to!" said Tifa's father proudly. "After all, your ten years old now, and you're mature for your age! They'll listen to you!"

"Sure, sure," said Tifa, standing up. "Well, I'm off then. See you later!" she called as she hurried off to the park.

"Good bye, and good luck!" called her father.

Tifa arrived at the park a few minutes later. A whole crowd of kids, boys and girls, were gathered around the monkey bars. "Tifa! Hey, Tifa, how are you?" chorused all the kids together. Some were older then her by a year or so, but the majority was young kids.

"I'm good, I'm brilliant," said Tifa with a smile. "So, what were you all planning on doing today?"

"Can we play tag today?" asked one kid.

"No, we play tag everyday! Let's go jump-roping instead!" yelled another kid.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down all of you! We can do all of that today," said Tifa. "We have all day to play, since it's summer time!"

"Can we play hide-and-seek?" inquired one kid to many shouts of agreement.

"All right," said Tifa. "The lot of you go and hide while I count to 100. Okay?"

"Okay!" said all the kids, and they all scattered, chattering excitedly.

Tifa laughed to herself, glancing around the whole park again for possible hiding spots she could search. Her eyes fell upon the swing set, and she saw him sitting on one of the swings. _Oh, it's that Cloud again,_ thought Tifa. _Why is he always sitting there? Why doesn't he come join the other kids?_ Tifa blinked as Cloud looked up slightly, met Tifa's eyes, and quickly looked back down, swinging slightly. She shrugged it off. _It doesn't matter, he's always like that_, she thought, though she bit her lip and started counting.

Cloud, meanwhile, was sitting on the swing set, letting himself swing a little, staring at the ground. He didn't notice three other kids stand behind them. "Hey, Cloud, how are you?" asked one of them.

Tifa stopped in her counting. _It's those three bullying kids… They better not pick on Cloud…_ she resumed her counting.

Cloud gave the three kids a sideways glance, and stared at the ground, not answering.

"What's wrong? Can't you talk?" asked the one kid. "I bet your sad because no one wants to play with you. Is that right?"

Cloud tightened his hold on the swing's chain, and he didn't answer again. Tifa looked up at the swing set.

"Why won't you talk to us?" asked the second kid. "You think you're too good for us, don't you? You think we're too lowly for you to even glance at us!"

Cloud continued to stare at the ground, and still gave no answer.

"We'll play jump rope with you, if you like," said the third kid, pulling out three jump ropes. "We're not stuck up, unlike you."

"…I don't want to play jump rope," said Cloud in a voice so soft it might have been a whisper.

_57...don't bully him…58...59...60...don't pick on Cloud…61._.. Tifa tried to concentrate on her counting, but the bullies were beginning to look serious.

"What was that? I didn't hear you," said the first kid. "Why don't you speak up? Let us little people hear you!"

"I don't want to play jump rope," repeated Cloud in the same soft voice.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to play or not," said the second bully.

"We'll make you play with us," said the third bully, handing each of his friends a jump rope. "Jump rope is much fun once you play it with us!"

Cloud didn't answer yet again.

"I said play jump rope with us!" yelled the first kid, and he pushed Cloud roughly off of the swing.

Cloud cried out as he hit the ground and Tifa looked up sharply. "Cloud!"

"You'll see our version of jump rope is much fun!" said the second kid, and he used the jump rope to whip the side of Cloud's head.

"…!" gasped Cloud, holding on to his head. "No, leave me alone!"

"Not until we've had our fun with you!" said the second kid.

Tifa gasped in horror as the three bullies used the jump ropes to hurt Cloud. _Now they've gone too far!_ she thought angrily, and strode over the scene.

"See, we won't let you destroy us," said the first kid. "Our parents told us what you were, and what you came from. So we'll make sure it doesn't happen!"

He raised his hand and was about to strike Cloud again when Tifa grabbed his wrist. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" asked Tifa.

"Hey, let me go," said the first kid, trying to break free from Tifa.

Cloud seized his opportunity at once; he got up staggeringly and hurried off.

"Hey, we're not finished!" yelled the third kid, and was about to give chase when Tifa tripped him. "Oi! What was that for?"

"For bullying Cloud!" said Tifa angrily. She threw the first kid onto the ground, and demanded, "Why do you pick on him? It's not his fault that he is what he is! You shouldn't shun him or hurt him for that! He's as normal as the rest of us!"

"He's a weirdo, that's what!" retorted the first kid. "He's always quiet and solitary, he never comes over to us! He must be planning something!"

"Don't be stupid, he would never!" said Tifa, taking the jump ropes away from the three bullies, she added, "And if I see you using jump ropes or anything else to harm anyone around here again, I'll teach you a _real_ good lesson! You got it?"

"Ugh… come on, guys, let's go!" said the second kid, and the three of them trottled off quickly with angry glances back at Tifa.

"Phew… that solved the problem," said Tifa, dusting off her hands. She looked around. "Cloud, where are you…? Ah, there he is!"

Tifa was about to run over to Cloud when a small kid asked, "Tifa? Aren't you supposed to be counting?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I lost count," said Tifa. "I was going to sit by Cloud and start counting again. Is that okay?"

"Sure!" said the kid, and she hurried off to hide.

Tifa saddened slightly. _She didn't even ask if Cloud was okay…_ she realized, and walked over to Cloud, who was slumped against a tree, hugging himself tightly, staring at the grass around the tree. "Hey, Cloud," she started, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Cloud flinched immediately, not noticing it was Tifa. "Leave me alone," he hissed. "I don't want you to hurt me again…"

Tifa withdrew her hand quickly, and said softly, "Cloud, it's me, Tifa. May I sit by you for a little bit?"

Cloud raised his head cautiously to check if it was Tifa. He scooted closer to the tree, not answering.

"Cloud, don't worry, those bullies won't bother you again. I'll make sure of that."

"That's what they said last time," said Cloud, holding on the tree with one hand. "And the time before that…"

Tifa blinked in surprise. "You mean this has happened before!" Cloud's silence was answer enough. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded in shock.

Cloud bowed his head, not meeting Tifa's gaze. "They told me not to tell anyone, otherwise they'd continue to hurt me…"

"But you told me that they bullied you before!" said Tifa. She softened her gaze as her eyes trailed to the red line on the side of his head. "If they hurt you, why don't you say something?"

She reached out a hand to feel it but Cloud flinched away from her. "I can't trust anyone," he muttered, looking away from Tifa. "Who can I trust? Nobody here seems to like me…"

"I do," said Tifa, gently reached out a hand to turn his face towards hers. "I like you a lot, Cloud. You're my best friend, okay? If someone is threatening you, then you come tell me, all right?"

Cloud stared in shock at Tifa. "…really?"

"Really, really," said Tifa, releasing Cloud's face. "From now on, and forever."

"…ok--okay, Tifa… We're best friends, right?"

"Of course," smiled Tifa, putting an arm around Cloud. But even as she did so, she could feel Cloud tense underneath her arm, as though he were afraid that she might attack him too…

**End flashback…**

"That's Cloud's life story through your eyes?" asked Zack. "I…I had no idea he was bullied as a kid. His profile said that he had hardships as a kid, but I never imagined anything like that…"

"I know," sighed Tifa sadly. "I don't think he ever trusted anyone… It's…kinda sad in a way, you know? But I do care for him," said Tifa earnestly, though she reddened a bit. "But the care I have for him is much different then the way you feel for Cloud."

"So when you say 'care', you mean 'love'," said Zack. "How'd you know I want to be a father figure to him?"

"I can just tell these things. I'm pretty good at understanding people, and reading their emotions." Tifa looked towards the door as though hoping Cloud would come in. "I know how he feels for you, too…"

"Everyone keeps on mentioning something like that," said Zack in confusion. "What do they keep talking about? Surely Cloud feels the same way about me that I feel about him. I make it pretty obvious that I view him as a son."

"Cloud… interprets things differently," said Tifa with a slight apologetic glance at Zack. "…I'll miss Cloud when Cid and I have to leave again…"

"I know, me too," said Zack. He blinked. "Wait a minute, I already live here!"

"So you'll keep an eye on Cloud for me, won't you?" asked Tifa, standing up. "Please tell me that you'll see no harm comes to him!"

"I…can't promise that," said Zack slowly. "It's hard for anyone to not get hurt around here… But I'll do my best not to let him, okay? He's safe in my hands!"

Tifa smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Zack. That means a lot to me…"

**With Cloud…**

Cloud had wandered aimlessly to the Chocobo Garden, and sat on one of the benches. All the Chocobo were asleep, so Cloud didn't have to worry about seeing Kumo yet. _I don't want to admit it… I never wanted Zack to find out…_ thought Cloud, grabbing his left arm with a pained expression. The stigma was acting up again…

**_Flash: Kids were laughing at Cloud, who has climbed a tree to escape them, and they started calling him "Chocobo"…_**

Cloud winced at the painful memory, but he didn't utter a sound.

**_Flash: Cloud sitting at the park swings at night, glad to be away from the other kids…_**

Cloud opened his eyes and stood up, heading for the Chocobo feeder.

**_Flash: Sephiroth smiling cruelly as he shakes blood off of his Masamune…_**

"It does no good to think about it," he hissed to himself, placing a scoopful of seeds into Kumo's food tray. He set the scoop down and rubbed his left arm again. "It does me no good to have pain like this…"

The sounds of vans pulling in were heard, and some excited chattering started as the rest of the SOLDIERs came back from field training.

Cloud looked up and saw Sephiroth among the ranks. _…he's right,_ thought Cloud, clenching a fist. _I can't become stronger if I don't face my fears…_

**_Flash: Tifa laughing while playing tag with the kids, and Cloud's sitting by a tree in the shade, watching sadly because no kid invited him to join…_**

He released his left arm, and ran over to Sephiroth. "Sephy! Oi, Sephy!"

Sephiroth stopped, closed his eyes, and turned around slowly. "Yes, Cloud, what is it?" he asked.

"Um… Can I talk to you for a few seconds?" asked Cloud.

"Why?" asked Sephiroth, staring at Cloud weirdly. Then his eyes narrowed suddenly. "Is this 'talk' you want to have about the field training by any chance?"

"Yes, it is," said Cloud.

"Fine, then let's talk in my room," said Sephiroth, beckoning for Cloud to follow him. They arrived at Sephiroth's room, and Sephiroth took off his leather boots and put on his fuzzy silver ones, sitting down on his recliner. "You talk first," he said, gesturing to the other seat.

"I… I won't be here long," said Cloud, standing by the door. "I… Please don't think that I hate you after seeing that event." Sephiroth blinked but he didn't answer. "I don't! Not at all! I'm sure you were trying to help me become stronger," he went on. "So… You don't have to apologize or remind or anything like that. I forgive you."

Sephiroth was silent for a few seconds, and sat up on the recliner. "You…forgive me?" he asked, looking slightly surprised. "Who'd forgive someone like me?"

Cloud smiled. "I would. That vision will haunt me forever possibly, but I… I can't blame you. That's all I wanted to say!"

"…okay," said Sephiroth slowly.

"I'll see you later," said Cloud with a wave, heading for the door.

"Don't think that this means we're finished!" warned Sephiroth. "I still will try to make you kill. So will Shinra. You can't escape death."

Cloud stopped at the door with one hand on the knob. He looked back and said, "I know that, Sephy… But I'll never blame you for it."

Sephiroth stared in half-amazement, half-curiosity as Cloud left the room. "You… really are an unusual person," he said to himself, walking to the balcony to watch Cloud walk back to his room. "Yes… Very unusual person…"  
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**Mwa ha hah! Chapter twenty is a SUCCESS! HHAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAHAHA! 20 is a VERY big number, isn't it?  
Muses: **It sure is!  
**Mario: **Especially coming from YOU, Fairy Red! 20 IS a big number!  
…**leave now.  
Muses: **-leave-  
**Anyway, I'm glad you're still reading! Don't forget to review now! Bye! See you later! Oh, and I'm sorry about the lack of updates. I've been slightly busy, and couldn't get to my computer. Heh heh... Here, sorry for making you all wait. Read on!  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Now onto something more lighthearted.

**A/N: **Yeah… For a little while. Let's keep on going!

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Best Birthday Gift Of All!**  
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It was a week after field training, and Cloud seemed to be doing fine. Except for the occasional wince or flinch or two, he seemed to be in high spirits.

"Hey! Look, it's snowing!" said Zack, rushing to the window. "Sweet, I love it when it snows!"

Cloud walked to the window too. "Whoa, I didn't know that it snows this early, much less that it an snow around here."

"It always snows around here!" said Zack. "And it always lasts a very long time! I always look forward to the snow every year! Wanna know why?"

"Why?" asked Cloud.

"Because my birthday is coming soon! It always comes two weeks after field training!"

"Really?" asked Cloud. "Awa! I didn't know that!" said Cloud suddenly feeling panicked. "Your birthday is less then a week away, and I have no idea what to give you…!"

"Don't worry, you'll come up with something," said Zack. "I'm gonna be twenty-two, isn't that wonderful!"

"It is!" agreed Cloud. _Even though you'll become six years older then me,_ thought Cloud sadly.

"Oh, by the way, I have something to do right now…" said Zack slowly, pulling out some tape measure. He suddenly faced Cloud and wrapped the tape measure around Cloud's neck, pulling the blonde SOLDIER closer to him.

"Ah! Za-Za-Zack, what are you doing!" asked Cloud, blushing wildly, as his face was barely an inch away from Zack's.

"I'm taking your measurements," said Zack with a wicked grin.

"My--My measurements!" repeated Cloud, looking at the tape measure.

"Yes…" said Zack slowly, looking around with his eyes. "For a new outfit?"

"Oh, oh, yeah, a new outfit," said Cloud, feeling slightly disappointed.

"Arms out! Come on," said Zack, releasing Cloud. He held up the tape measure. "Before my birthday party, I have a great surprise for you!"

"You--you do?" asked Cloud. "You don't have to… really!"

"But I do!" argued Zack cheerfully. "After all, you're of legal age to drive now, and seeing as you have no means of transportation, I decided to get you a little something!"

"A little something? Like what?"

"It's a surprise," reminded Zack with a wink as he took Cloud's measurements. "But by the end of this week, we'll both see the wonderful thing I got you!"

"Okay… Thanks, Zack," said Cloud shyly, looking at his sleeve.

"Now, go play outside or something. I gotta go get your gift ready!" Zack skedaddled off in a giddy fashion.

Cloud smiled to himself. "Zack, you're so thoughtful and considerate… Everyone should be like you…" He left his room and hurried down to the library. "I need to find that book again…" He searched through the bookshelves until he found it again: the Know-It-All book! He picked it up and opened it up.

**Hello again, Cloud. How have you been?**

Cloud sighed. It was kinda creepy that this book could talk to you. "I've been good," he said quietly to the book. "Thanks for asking."

**That's no trouble at all. Now, here isn't a good place to talk, otherwise you'll get so excited when I tell you what I have to tell you.**

"…sure," said Cloud, taking the book to the librarian at the desk. "Excuse me, I'd like to check this one out."

"The Know-It-All book?" asked the librarian, taking the book and scanning it through the library check out thingy. "Many people are after this book, you're lucky you can get it today."

"Oh, thanks," said Cloud.

"Also, along with the Know-It-All book, you get the Really Useful Book. Both are very… well, smart and useful. Here, use them well."

"Thanks," said Cloud again. "Bye," he said with a wave.

"Come again."

Curiously, Cloud opened the first page of the Really Useful Book.

_Hello, how are you, Cloud Strife. I'm the Know-It-All's sister. I'm much more useful then the Know-it-all. _

Cloud raised an eyebrow as he entered his room, sitting down at his table. "Okay… so, uh, I'd thought I'd consult you again…"

**Of course you would, Cloud, we know all.**

_You mean YOU know all. I tell Cloud all of the USEFUL things._

**Hey, you nanny nagging book of scrap-made paper!**

_How dare you!_

"Whoa, whoa, stop fighting, you two!" said Cloud hurriedly, separating the two books just in case they grew teeth or something.

**Let me at her! I'll wring out her pages slowly and painfully!**

_Not before I rip your spine from your back!_

Cloud blinked. It was very odd to hear two books arguing with each other. "Uh… how about we put those thought aside and return to the problem at hand? I needed to consult your guys about something…"

_Of course, Cloud. Shoot._

**We're all ears!**

"…well, Know-It-All book, I wanted to ask the same question I asked last time…"

**What, the one about how to convince Zack to write you a program that will grow you some wings? I could tell you the program right now!**

_No, no, please don't…_

**-ahem- Just type this into your program: programcloud+strife(underscore)functionswings(underscore)cloud+strifegrow(underscore)from(underscore)back; wing(underscore)colorwhite/000321-4(underscore)cloud(underscore)strife(underscore)programcloud(underscore)with(underscore)wings(underscore)23410001001001011001001001011000100110cloud(underscore)strifecompleted(underscore)program**

Cloud stared blankly at the book. "Uh… I--I'm afraid I didn't catch that," he said, scratching his head.

_He's ALWAYS like that. Listen, Know-It-All, Cloud can't understand the programmers jargon! He has to ask Zack himself!_

**Now THAT'S useful advice, Really Useful! He's too embarrassed to ask questions like that! Remember, he LIKES Zack!**

_Oh, yeah, that's right! Flip the next page, Cloud, it'll be the most useful thing you have ever remembered…_

Cloud blinked and flipped the next page in the Really Useful Book.

_Remember what Tifa told you._

Cloud looked up slowly at his laptop, his mind returning to the most remembered words Tifa had ever told him…

**_Flash: "What the hell are you doing on the swing sets! Why don't you get off and give another kid a chance!" demanded Tifa one day while Cloud was sitting sadly on the swings…_**

"…a pleasant memory, really…"

_Hey, it'll be useful one day if that's the first thing you remembered._

**True that. Look, pal, we KNOW how you feel about Zack. Why not just straight out tell him? He's one of those clueless people that'll have no idea how you feel unless you tell him!**

"That's easier said then done…" muttered Cloud.

**That's why we're here for you!**

_That's true! Now, let us have some nice discussions on what to do…_

Cloud looked out the window, then back at the Know-It-All book and the Really Useful Book. "All right… tell me what I must do to get myself wings…"

**A few days later…**

"Come on, Cloud, it's dinner time!" announced Zack, opening Cloud's door. "We're gonna have something really yummy for dinner tonight!"

Cloud looked up from the Really Useful Book and the Know-It-All book. "Dinner time? What's for dinner?" he asked, setting the books on the table.

"Chicken fried rice with teriyaki and sesame chicken and egg rolls! It's Oriental night!" Zack started humming cheerfully as he led Cloud down the hallway. "Rice is so good for you! I'm going to eat a lot of rice tonight!" sang Zack, skipping merrily down the stairs.

Cloud smiled, watching Zack sing and skip. _He acts so cheerful all the time… _

"But if you eat too much rice, you'll get fat," sang Zack some more, jumping cheerfully down the last three steps. "But I'm going to eat all of the rice I want, because it's my own loss if I ruin my body, right?" Zack twirled around. "So laugh all you want, but I'll be the one happy tonight with a full belly! Tonight, I'm gonna eat all the rice I want!"

"You have a nice singing voice," said Cloud, watching Zack fondly.

"Thanks!" said Zack, stopping in his twirling to smile at Cloud.

"Zack, you really love rice, don't you?"

"I sure do!" said Zack cheerfully. "Thinking about rice makes me soo happy! The first dinner I had with Aeris was rice! Lalalalalala," sang Zack some more as they made their way to the cafeteria. "Rice, rice, rice, yummy steamy rice!"

Cloud sighed to himself. _So that's why he likes rice so much… oh, well. _"I like rice too," said Cloud.

"I know! Everyone should love rice!" Zack picked Cloud up and spun him around cheerfully.

"Awa!" yelped Cloud, red slightly. "I don't like being spun around!"

"Aaw!" squealed Zack, putting Cloud down and hugging him tightly. "You're soo cute when you do that!"

"When--When I do what?" stammered Cloud.

"When you say 'awa'!"

"…you think it's cute when I go 'awa'…?"

"It's soo adorable! Oh, darn it, your soo cute! Why did you have to be so cute?" asked Zack, ruffling Cloud's hair.

"I--I'm not really so…" stuttered Cloud, looking down at his boots shyly.

"You are too!" said Zack, poking Cloud's nose. "Come on, let's go to dinner together!" Zack took Cloud's hand and led him inside the cafeteria. "Rice is soo yummy!"

"Hmm," agreed Cloud. "Oh, hi, Sephy," he said to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth glanced back. "Someone's cheerful today," he observed, watching Zack skip happily to the serving table.

"He loves rice," said Cloud. "Today's his birthday, and we're having rice today. Oh, I haven't gotten him anything…" he sighed sadly, slumping his head onto the table. "But I had no idea what to get him…"

"So?" asked Sephiroth, looking pretty untroubled at the fact that today was Zack's birthday.

"I wanted to get something nice for Zack…"

"Get me something? Like what?" asked Zack, setting down three steaming plates of chicken fried rice with teriyaki and sesame chicken. "Fresh from the pot!" he announced cheerfully.

"Thanks, I guess…" said Sephiroth slowly, staring at Zack weirdly.

"…I don't know what I should get you… I should've thought about it more… I'm sorry, Zack," muttered Cloud sadly.

"Don't feel bad, sometimes even I forget to get myself a gift!" Zack took in several shovelfuls of rice and chicken, and said with a full mouth, "Oh, and by the way, I haff to sho you shumffin after dinner!"

"Oh, that's right, you said you were working on something… It's done?"

"What, pray tell, is this something?" asked Sephiroth, feeling slightly left out.

"A motorcycle!" said Zack excitedly after swallowing loudly. "You'll love it, Cloud!"

"A motorcycle?" repeated Sephiroth in disgust. "Why can't you ever keep your feet on the ground?"

"Why can't you, Mr. One-Winged Angel?"

"Oh… that's cold."

"Let--Lets not fight now," said Cloud with a nervous laugh. "We can all go see it together!"

"No can do, I'm afraid, I have to go take Spikey out on a walk," said Sephiroth, picking up his empty plate. "I'll see you all later, I dislike motorcycles greatly."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Zack, swallowing the last of his rice and chicken. He let out a squeal of pure bliss. "I _love_ rice!" he said happily.

"You can have the rest of mine," said Cloud earnestly, wanting to see Zack hum happily again.

"I can! Whee! Thank you soo much, Cloud!" said Zack, taking Cloud's food plate from him. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and stalked off while Cloud stood up, smiling at Zack fondly. "Yummy rice!" he said, gobbling all of the rice whole. "Yummy, tasty rice!" He stood up too, and skipped merrily out of the cafeteria, Cloud close at his heels.

"So, what did you want to show me?"

"Yeah, before I do that, Cloud, I wanted to tell you that you don't have to worry about getting me a gift. Wanna know why?"

"Why? There's no reason why I shouldn't get you a gift!" said Cloud sadly, looking up at Zack.

"Because, Cloud," said Zack, pulling out a long black ribbon, "_you_, Cloud, are my best birthday present of all time!" said Zack happily as he tied the black ribbon around Cloud's neck. "There? Is it all comfy?"

"…!" Cloud gasped as Zack tied the black ribbon to his neck. "I--I--I--_I­'m_ your best birthday present…!"

"You sure are!" said Zack, holding out the two ends of the ribbon up to Cloud's eyes. "I've never had anybody around me that actually, truly cared for me, other then Aeris of course. You are a true friend of mine, and I thank the higher powers everyday that you came into my life!"

"Oh, Zack, I…I don't know what to say," said Cloud, blushing slightly.

"It's okay, Cloud. You're my little gift to me, and I never want to see you sad. That's why I want to take care of you. Though I can't do much to help, I'll always be around to protect you, Cloud," said Zack with an affectionate smile at Cloud.

Cloud looked up at Zack with amazed eyes. "You--You do a lot for me, Zack, just by saying things like that," he said with a shy smile, meeting Zack's gaze with equal (or possibly more) affection.

Zack laughed. "That means a lot to me, Cloud. Thank you so much, for entering my life!"

Cloud felt the black ribbon tied around his neck with a happy heart. _Zack, I would gladly be your present any day…I'm so glad you consider me your present…_

"Come on, I also have something to show you, remember?" Zack took Cloud's hand and hurried him to the outside of Shinra. "Lookie here!"

"Whoa! Is--That's your motorcycle you've been working on!" asked Cloud in surprise. "That's so cool looking! What's it called?"

"Oh, I named this beauty 'Fenrir'," said Zack, patting the motorcycle's handlebars. "She's a fast one she is. It used to be an old busted motorcycle I found abandoned in Midgar, so I decided to turn it into a new hot motorcycle, for you! Now that you're of legal age to drive, we can go places now!"

"But--You--You didn't have to make a gift for _me_," said Cloud, glancing away quickly. "I--You…"

"Your birthday was a while ago too, wasn't it?" asked Zack. "I didn't get you a gift either."

"That's because you didn't know me!" disagreed Cloud, waving his hands wildly. "My birthday's in August, and it was before I came here! You don't have to feel bad for me!"

Zack blinked down at Cloud. "Oh… But still, friends give each other gifts. And besides," added Zack, twirling the black ribbon, "if my gift is happy, then I'm happy!"

"…!" gasped Cloud, looking up at Zack in shock. "My happiness means that much to you?"

"It sure does!" said Zack. "Now, how about we give Fenrir a test run, eh? Come on! You can ride in back at first, so you see how it's done!" Zack hopped onto Fenrir and patted the spot behind him. "It'll be fun!" he assured.

"Ok-Okay, coming," said Cloud, blushing slightly as he hopped behind Zack onto Fenrir. "Is it safe?"

"She's perfectly safe," said Zack, revving the engine alive. "Hang on tight, this could be a fast ride!"

"It can't be that fast--AWAAAAA!' yelled Cloud as Zack suddenly sped off into the distance. "We're going pretty fast!" he yelled, grabbing onto Zack tightly in fear of falling off.

"Are you kidding, this is a slow speed on Fenrir!" yelled Zack back, apparently enjoying this cruise. "Let's see what she really can do!"

They spent the rest of the evening riding Fenrir around and about outside of Shinra. This once-old-and-busted motorcycle was now a new-hotness motorcycle, and thanks to Zack, the twosome could ride it everywhere. If they wanted. But for now, they brought Fenrir to a stop and walked back into Shinra, talking excitedly about the qualities of Fenrir, and what else they could do in the future. And as for Cloud…

_Now's a good time to ask him about getting my own wings,_ decided Cloud as they made their way upstairs to Zack's room. "Hey, Zack," he started.

"Yes, Cloud?" asked Zack, opening the door to let Cloud in. He went to the cupboard and pulled out a packet of fig newtons. "Let's eat and talk!"

Cloud looked down with embarrassment. "Um… Zack, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, ask away," said Zack, munching on a fig newton.

"Uh…" Cloud mumbled something.

"What's that?" asked Zack, leaning in closer to hear Cloud.

"…I--I want to know… how to grow wings, just like Sephy…"

Zack stared for a couple seconds. "Wings? You?"

"You--you think it's a stupid idea, don't you? I knew it," muttered Cloud, hanging his head. "I'm sorry for bringing it up so suddenly…"

"No, no, not at all!" argued Zack hurriedly. "I think it's a brilliant idea!"

"You do!" asked Cloud, looking up.

"Yeah! Why didn't you tell me sooner that you wanted wings? I can give you wings!"

"You can?" asked Cloud. "How?"

"It's a complicated program, and it'll take a while for it to work, but…" Zack stood up and walked over to Cloud. "Just promise me one thing."

"Sure, anything."

"Okay… Let's say the program actually works, yeah? When your wings are fully developed and ready for flight… Fly me somewhere."

"Huh?" asked Cloud, quite sure he had misheard Zack.

"When I do the program for your wings… Fly me away. Far away, so that we may see the world from high in the sky."

"You mean you can actually do it?" asked Cloud.

"I sure can," said Zack with a smile. "Once I write the program, you'll be my little angel Chocobo!" He patted Cloud's back. "I'll do it just for you, as to make my special gift happy! You'll be very happy one it's finished!"  
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Aaw. I can see Cloud with cute white angel wings.  
Nana: **So? I thought he had one demonic wing.  
**No, no, that's just my little Cloud animation… Or does he have one demonic wing? …Yeah, he does. I think… I'm not too sure of it's true or not…  
Rose: **It might be.  
**Zelda: **Wings are nice.  
**I know, aren't they? -notices readers- Oh, hi! Sorry, I forgot about you all for a couple of seconds… Uh, yes. Cloud is also gonna have wings in this fanfic!  
Mario: **We're just giving Cloud everything, aren't we?  
**Link: **Why, we've given him geostigma, Fenrir… Now we're gonna give him wings.  
**Chikara: **That's why its called "www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net".  
**Exactly! Thanks for reading! See you in a little bit!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **I suppose that's the beauty of fanfiction.

**A/N: **It is. I'm loving it so far! Onwards, readers!

**Chapter Twenty-Two: A Shocking Secret**  
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Tseng's group of Turks were in the research room, taking a break. They've been researching for hours now, and it was time they took a break. "We're getting pretty close to the solution," said Tseng, resting his head on his hand thoughtfully. "It appears that Cloud _does_ in fact has something to do with it…"

"Whatever that is, I'd like to find out soon," sighed Elena, slumping onto a sofa. "My eyes burn from too much time staring at a computer screen…"

"Tell me about it," muttered Reno, taking the other sofa. "I shall be blind before I'm 21..."

"Reno, that's two years away," said Rude, sitting down next to Reno. "And I can assure you, your eyesight is just fine."

"This research had better wield good results, I haven't had proper rest since a few weeks ago…" Vincent took the recliner in the corner, staring at the ceiling.

"Come on, you four, you complain way too much," sighed Tseng, sitting up straighter to get a good look at his Turks. "We have no right to complain, we agreed to take this job."

"But Dude, you _love_ looking at a computer screen," said Reno, casting Tseng an annoyed look. "And I'll complain all I like, _sir_," he added, putting emphasis on the "sir".

"Reno, Reno, calm down, don't start now," said Rude, patting Reno's shoulder. Vincent's hand twitched in the corner, but he didn't say anything.

"Ooh, all beware, Reno's very angry right now," sneered Elena with mock worry. "Hours without staring at himself in the mirror has driven this Turk on the verge of bat temperament!"

"Why you--!" started Reno, standing up.

Tseng sighed, placing his hand in his head. "For the love of… Please, don't start…"

"Go on, let Reno lose his temper," said Elena. "It's always fun to beat him up when he challenges someone to a fight!"

"What! How dare you!" demanded Reno, trying to attack Elena, but Rude quickly jumped up and held Reno down.

"Whoa, Reno, Reno, calm down!" said Rude, struggling to hold the enraged Turk down. "She didn't mean it!" he added reassuringly.

Elena laughed loudly as Reno tried to reach her while Rude held him back. Tseng heaved a sigh wearily and got back to his own research; Vincent watched the argument with mild interest. "Godblarnsit!" seethed Reno after a few minutes of no luck getting through Rude's arms. "Why wouldn't you let me hit her?" demanded Reno angrily, sitting down huffily on the couch.

"Because," started Rude, sitting down, "you have a ferocious temper, and that is no reason to hit anyone. There never is a good reason to hit anyone!"

"But earlier, she called my _mommy-"_ Reno put emphasis on "mommy" by making quotation marks with his fingers "-a slutback whore!"

Rude blinked in surprise. "She did?"

"She was," interjected Elena. "All mothers who live in the slums are!"

"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU?"

Vincent sighed in the corner, looking at the ceiling again. _No wonder we're not getting anywhere,_ he thought.

"Reno, remember what we talked about?" asked Rude, sitting Reno down and making him face him. "About the temper thing?"

Reno's eyes were blue fire, but he sighed angrily and said, "I know, I know, you're a lake stuff."

"Yes, Reno, you are a lake. Elena is but a cloud that casts a shadow upon you. When she is long gone, you'll still be there, and she'll be nothing more then a mere memory."

Reno took a deep breath, and let out a long relaxing breath. "Sigh… you're right, Rude."

"Of course I'm right," replied Rude, putting an arm around Reno. Vincent's hand twitched in the corner again.

"Man, Rude, you always calm me down," said Reno, looking up at Ride with a grateful smile. "Without you, I don't know where I'd be now!" Vincent's hand twitched twice, and he shifted uncomfortably in his recliner.

"Probably dead," said Elena, looking upside-down at Rude and Reno, as she was leaning back-first onto the couch.

"No, not dead," said Rude. "Reno will make it far as a Turk! Maybe one day, he'll take over Tseng's place!" Rude held up Reno's hand. "Together, he and I will rule Shinra one day!" Vincent sat up suddenly, then sat back down.

Tseng shook his head. "That is extremely unlikely, Rude and Reno. I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Oh, pooh!" said Reno, lifting his head arrogantly. "So says you! But I totally agree with Rude!" he switched their hand positions and lifted Rude's hand up. "We'll change the world!" Vincent coughed loudly, and Elena gave him a weird stare.

"Whatever you say," said Tseng in a bored voice, and went back to his research.

"Ooh! Let's eat now, Rude, I brought some lunch today!" said Reno happily, pulling out a colorfully bagged lunch (like Japanese style lunches, the kind wrapped in colorful cloth). Vincent stood up and went to the window, looking unusually frightened, and Elena sat up to have a good look at him.

"You did? Aw, Reno, you shouldn't have," said Rude as he and Reno opened the lunch together. "Gasp! And you even brought my favorite!" Vincent put both hands on the window sill, tying to concentrate on the outside view, while Elena looked between Reno and Rude, then back at Vincent, realizing something.

"I sure did! Anything for you, Rude," said Reno, taking a forkful of rice. "Say 'Ahh'!" Vincent looked back at the two of them, and back at the window.

"Ahh," went Rude, opening his mouth so Reno could feed him some rice.

Vincent seemed to have taken the last straw; he stubbed his toe on the wall in his hurry to leave the room, and he called over his shoulder, "I'll be ri-right back, gotta go somewhere!" he zoomed out of the door, letting the door slam loudly in his wake.

Reno and Rude blinked at the same time. "What's his problem?" asked Reno curiously.

Tseng looked up. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Uh, nothing," laughed Elena nervously. "I'll--uh, I'll go get him!" she hurried after Vincent, calling, "Vince, wait, they didn't mean anything!"

"Did we do something to offend Vince?" asked Rude, scratching his head. Tseng rolled his eyes and went back to his research.

Elena meanwhile had caught up to Vincent, who seemed to be having a panic attack at the end of the hallway somewhere. "Oh my god! Here, Vince, breath into my bag!" she said, whipping out a brown bag for Vince to breath into. He hurriedly grabbed the bag and breathed into it, calming down with each breath. "Jeez, man, what's wrong with you?"

"It--It's them," gasped Vincent, gesturing with the bag to the room he had just left. "Doing… doing the… well, the stuff."

"Stuff? What stuff? You mean the shonen-ai stuff?" asked Elena. Vincent gulped and nodded slowly. "I said they didn't mean it. Reno and Rude are good friends, they've always been doing that."

"But they… the way they look at each other, and so on!" said Vincent, wildly waving his arms around.

"Just because they act it doesn't mean they are," said Elena. "Trust me, Vince, Rude and Reno aren't gay."

"How do you know?"

"If those two were gay, do you really think they each would try to hit on me all the time they see me in the library?" inquired Elena. "Think about it."

"…right," said Vincent, handing Elena her bag back. "It just…freaks me out. You know, gays and lesbians…"

"Homosexual people freak you out?" asked Elena. Vincent nodded and he walked back to the room. Elena raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Learn something new everyday," she muttered as she went back inside with Vincent.

**With Cloud and Zack…**

"I think the programs ready," said Zack, rereading the program he had typed. "Let me see…"

"Are you sure it'll work?" asked Cloud. Now that the time was coming nearer, he was feeling kinda apprehensive about actually growing wings and flying.

"I'm absolutely sure," said Zack reassuringly. "But I should warn you about a few things first."

"Warn me? About what?"

"Well, when I hit 'enter' on this program, you have to teach yourself how to fly. I'm pretty certain that Sephiroth won't be pleased when he hears about this."

"Okay…"

"We'll go out later this evening before dinner. You need to practice a lot of things. Things like letting this wings out, how to put them back, how to control the molting of feathers, how to lift yourself in the air, how to carry things in the air, how to fight in midair, how to ascend and descend safely, how far you can fly before you get tired, how to not get spotted while flying. The whole enchilada."

"Whoa… you've put a lot of thought into this," said Cloud, writing down all Zack said onto his right arm.

Zack looked at Cloud. "Why are you writing notes down?"

Cloud stopped in mid-note. "Uh…so I know what to do, and so I don't forget anything…"

"Right," said Zack, rereading the program a second time. "I did everything correctly. There's just one other thing… Well, no one should know about this."

"No one? Why not?" asked Cloud.

Zack chuckled nervously. "Well, you see… this is an illegal program. SOLDIERs aren't allowed to have wings."

"They aren't? But, Sephy…?"

"Oh, no Sephiroth's an exception," said Zack with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Cause he's perfect. But you're perfect too, so that's why I agreed to let you do this! But always make sure no one finds out about this, or we're in trouble, okay?"

"Right, I understand."

"Okay, good." Zack hit the 'enter' button.

Cloud closed his eyes and awaited, seeing if he felt any different. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and said, "I don't feel any different."

"It will, don't worry," said Zack, standing up and closing his laptop. "Come on, let's give those wings a good test run!"

"But won't people think it's suspicious to see us skipping dinner?"

"We'll say we're visiting our Chocobo. We're allowed to skip dinner if we want to see our Chocobo. There are plenty of cliffs and forest falls outside of the garden; we'll go there for your first test flight."

"Okay…" said Cloud slowly, following Zack out of the room, down the stairs and out of the door. On their way out, Cloud spotted a few black feathers on the ground. "…?" he asked, picking one up. _Was Sephy nearby? Did he use his own wing…?_

"Cloud! Come on, let's not dawdle," called Zack, who looked back to see why Cloud stopped. "Soon we'll see your own feathers like that too!"

"…" Cloud put the feather into his pocket and hurried after Zack. "Are those cliffs safe? Suppose I don't let the wings out in time and I break my neck or something?"

"Nothing bad will happen, and the cliffs aren't that high off the ground."

"How high are we talking?"

"Uh… I think it was about 112 ft high cliff."

"112 ft! But that's a very long way down!" protested Cloud.

"If something goes wrong, I'll just quickly program for you to land safely. For the last time, Cloud, don't worry about anything! Zack has it all under control," promised Zack, smiling at Cloud like a father would to an overly-worried son.

Cloud, however, didn't notice this tone; rather, he took it like advice from one _really close_ friend to another _really close_ friend. He smiled shyly at his feet and said, "Okay, Zack, I trust you…"

"Right then… Please stand at the edge of the cliff, Cloud, so that we may commence the first test flight." Cloud nodded and did as he was told, standing almost at the edge of the cliff. "Right now… FLY!" yowled Zack, pushing Cloud off the cliff.

"AWAAAAAAAaaaaaaa…" Cloud's scream grew fainter as he fell farther down the cliff.

Zack leaned over the cliff cautiously. "Oops… Cloud? Are you dead?"

Sephiroth was standing below the cliff, just chllin', walking. Suddenly, a shadow comes over him. "Hmm?" he asked himself looking upward.

THUMP

"Ouchie… I landed on something quite soft actually," came Cloud's voice from below, albeit faintly as he was 112 feet away from Zack.

"Something soft?" repeated Zack. "Would this something soft happen to be six feet tall?"

Cloud looked down at what he was sitting on, looking it up and down to get a good measurement of it. "Yeah, I'd say it's about six feet tall."

"Is this six-feet-tall something have silver hair?"

Cloud checked the hair of the something he landed on. "Yep, silver hair."

"Is this six-feet-tall silver-haired someone have pale skin?"

Cloud checked the face of the someone. "Yep."

"Is this six-feet-tall silver-haired pale-skinned someone giving you a green-eyed glare?"

Cloud lifted the face of this someone, and indeed they were giving Cloud a green-eyed glare. "Yeah, he sure is!" called Cloud. "Hello, Sephy," he added, giving Sephiroth a smile.

"Get off me!" shouted Sephiroth, shoving Cloud off of him and standing up. "Jeez, what's your problem! Jumping off of a cliff like that!" demanded Sephiroth, dusting himself off.

"Oh, I was…uh…" Cloud shuffled his feet and brightened suddenly. "Oh, yes! I was feeling kinda suicidal!"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Were you now?" his eyes trailed to the top of the cliff, where Zack was still watching. He blinked in surprise, and hurriedly hid the laptop, whistling to hide any guilt. "With Zack looking on?"

"…yeah."

"If you were that depressed about seeing death, Cloud, you could've asked me to kill you. I hold no objections to killing you if you want. No need to kill yourself, I'm not a bad guy. I'll do it for you," he added, pulling out Masamune.

"…! Uh, no, no, it's okay, I'm not feeling suicidal anymore!" said Cloud, laughing loudly.

"Hmm…" mumbled Sephiroth, looking between Zack and Cloud. "If you say so…" he sheathed Masamune.

"Uhm--Uhm… We should be heading back for dinner!" said Cloud loudly to Zack. "Don't you agree, Zack?"

"Yes, Cloud, I do agree! Let's go!"

Cloud jumped up the cliff to Zack and the two hurried off to dinner. "Man, I thought Sephy would find out about it!" said Cloud as they hurried to Shinra.

"Tell me about it!" agreed Zack.

Sephiroth, however, seemed to know much about the plan they had. At the ground before him were a few scattered white feathers. He picked one up and examined it. _For a moment, Cloud's shadow made it seem like he had wings…_ he thought, looking at the rest of the feathers. _If Cloud had wings spread when he fell, what made him suddenly remove them? Was it fear, or something else…? Whatever it is, I'll find out. _With a smirk, Sephiroth tossed the white feather to the winds, and turned heel and continued on his walk.

**With the Turks…**

The phone rang, and Tseng picked it up. "Yes, this is Tseng…What?" he asked suddenly, stopping in his writing. "Right now?" the rest of the Turks looked over at Tseng curiously. Tseng stood up and paced away from them. "Can't you send someone else to do it?" All the Turks leaned in a bit closer to hear what was going on. "…fine. If you want…" Tseng hung up and turned to the rest of the Turks. "Reno," he said suddenly.

Reno jumped. "Eh… yes, Dude?"

"Hojo-sama was on the phone. He said he wanted to see you."

"Me--me? He wants to see me?"

"Well, yes, Reno. He said he wanted you to bring some coffee for him, Reeve, and Lucrecia. Said it was for important research."

"Oh!" said Reno in relief. "Ok, good, I thought it was for some science project!" He stood up and headed for the coffee table. "No one minds if I take this, do they?"

"I could take the coffee to Hojo-sama," said Vincent.

"Yeah, yeah, you just want to see Lucrecia, don't you?" asked Reno with a teasing tone in his voice. "You like her, don't you?"

"What!" demanded Vincent. "I--I have no idea what you're talking about!" he said hurriedly, turning his head away (to hide the blush!).

"Sure, sure, I believe you," said Reno, taking the coffee pot to the door.

"Will you be all right by yourself?" asked Rude, his voice filled with concern. Vincent stopped suddenly, then shook his head.

Reno stopped at the door, and smiled back at Rude. "I'll be fine, silly! I'm just taking coffee to Hojo-sama and his associates. I'll be back in a flash, don't worry." Vincent muttered under his breath and stalked over to the recliner.

"Do hurry then," said Rude. Vincent slumped onto the recliner with another panic attack, and Elena hurried over to Vincent with a brown bag for Vincent to breath into.

Reno walked out of the door down the hall all the way to Hojo's lab door. Reno knocked on the door with his head and called, "Hojo-sama, I brought your coffee you asked for!"

No answer came, except a few mutterings behind the door.

"Sigh… Hojo-sama, your coffee!" he said louder, hoping to get their attention.

Still no answer; it appeared that they didn't hear Reno.

"Oh, come on, do I have to do everything around here?" asked Reno impatiently, shifting the position of the coffee pot so he could enter the code into Hojo's lab to get inside himself. When the door opened, Reno came inside and announced loudly, "Hojo-sama, I have brought your coffee!"

Hojo looked back at Reno. "Ah, about time," he said, rather then 'thank you'. He strode over to the coffee pot, picked it up, and paused suddenly. "Better yet… why not show them…?" he said quietly to himself.

"What's that?" asked Reno, who was about to turn around to leave.

Hojo placed the coffee pot down thoughtfully, placing a hand on his chin. "Let me see… it might speed the process up a bit more if we… that's a good idea…"

"A good idea?" repeated Reno. "I wish you'd get to the point, Hojo-sama, you're kinda creeping me out…"

"Fine," said Hojo, turning to Reno. "It's about time I showed you Turks what you're actually researching, isn't it? Especially if it speeds up the research process. Reeve," he called to Reeve. "Call the rest of the Turks in here. Tseng, Elena, Rude, and Vincent. They need to see this too."

"See what?" asked Reno, now quite confused as he watched Reeve nod and head for the phone.

"Come with me," said Hojo, motioning for Reno to follow him. "Lucrecia, we're going to show the Turks who and what Jenova really is."

Lucrecia looked up in surprise from her notes. "We are? But Hojo-sama, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Of course I'm sure," said Hojo. He pointed up at the woman who was in the tube. "Reno, can you tell me what that is?"

"Huh…? Uh, sure…" said Reno, looking up at the woman. "So…_that's_ the Jenova we've been researching… I guess seeing her makes her easier to research what's wrong…" he tilted his head side to side. "But she looks kinda familiar."

"I know, she should," said Hojo with something like an evil smile.

Reno gave Hojo a curious stare, and looked back up at the woman, and realized where he had seen her before. He gasped out loud and looked at Hojo in shock this time. "You--you mean…? Jenova is…?"

Hojo nodded slowly. "That's right, Reno… Jenova was put into… Miss Shinra."

"Miss Shinra…? Isn't she… I mean, wasn't she shachoo's wife?"

"Yes, she was," said Hojo, looking up at Jenova. "You all thought she died a long time ago, but why? You never even met her until tonight. I'll tell you the whole story…"

**Flashback…about 25 years ago…**

It was back in the glory days of Shinra Company, back when it was on it's fifth year running. The board meeting had just begun, and Hojo (who was about 20 years old at the time) had excellent news. "Before we begin the board meeting, Hojo said he has a special announcement."

Hojo stood up and said, "The Jenova Project is nearly completed. We've been researching her for five years, and she seems to have many strong attributes about her. Once we can fully control her, we can finally realize our dreams of SOLDIER."

"The only problem is, Jenova has no stable form she can come into," said another scientist. "We can't keep her in one spot as she is, and if she spoils, then she'll be useless."

"So you need a body for her to stay into?" asked shachoo.

"Yes, sir, that's exactly it," said the scientist.

"But we don't know who to use," finished Hojo. "We're in a bit in a bind with that one…"

Shachoo was about to answer when the phone rang. Shachoo sighed and picked the phone up. "Yes, what is it?"

"_Shachoo, your wife is here to see you. She says that she's perfectly fine, and that your year-old son is ready to see you as well."_

Shachoo sighed in mild disgust. "Can't she wait a couple of minutes?"

"_No, sir, I'm afraid not, she seems kinda impatient as well… Shall I send her up?_

Shachoo was about to disagree when Hojo nodded suddenly. "Yes, shachoo, bring her in! We'll need her!" he hissed suddenly.

"…" shachoo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he said, "Fine, send her in."

"_Yes, sir."_

"Hojo, why do you think we need my wife? She's completely worthless, how can she be of use in a science project?"

"You'll see, shachoo," said Hojo as the door opened.

A fair woman of about eighteen years came running in. "Oh, darling!" she called happily, waving to shachoo with one arm. In her other arm, she held a little baby all wrapped up in a blanket.

Shachoo shook his head, faked a smile. "Hello, honey," he said back.

"They let me out of the hospital today!" she said happily, taking a seat near shachoo. "They said it'll take a bit of work, but I'll be just fine! Your son is healthy too!" she said, showing shachoo the little baby.

"Charming," said shachoo, still wearing the fake smile. "What did you name him?"

"Oh, I don't know, I couldn't think of one," said Miss Shinra. "I thought about many different names, but none came to mind… So I decided that YOU could name him, darling!"

Shachoo stood up suddenly. "Goodness!" he cried. "I name the baby? Oh, no, darling, you should."

Miss Shinra made a sad face, twisting her hair around her finger. "But nothing I can come up with will be better then yours, darling. I really can't do anything…"

_Blondes…_ thought shachoo, forgetting for a moment that he too was blonde. "Fine… I'll, uh, come up with something later. Right now, I'm in a board meeting."

"No, we need a name NOW!" said Miss Shinra in a whiny shrilly voice.

"Okay, okay, darling!" said shachoo, covering his ears.

Hojo stood up and turned to Miss Shinra. "You know, I could help your husband come up with a name for your little baby."

"Oh, could you?" asked Miss Shinra. "Oh, that's so nice of you, Mr…?"

"Oh, you can just call me Hojo," said Hojo kindly, holding out a hand. "If I may see your son for a couple of minutes?" _If she is as foolish as she looks, this'll be a piece of cake,_ thought Hojo evilly.

Miss Shinra stood still for a few seconds, giving shachoo an unsure glance. "Darling, don't worry," said shachoo, walking behind Miss Shinra and giving her shoulders a comforting rub. "Hojo is my trusted friend; I'm sure he won't mind baby sitting the baby while we come up with a name for him."

"Oh… All right," said Miss Shinra graciously, handing over her baby boy to Hojo. "You're a great help, Hojo! I thank you!"

"It's no trouble at all," said Hojo with a nod to his head. He exchanged glances with shachoo, gave another nod, and left the room. _When he calls, I'll make sure Jenova is ready,_ he thought, looking down at the baby he was taking to his lab. "Gast, help me with this, will you?" he addressed to the other scientist in the room.

The man named Gast looked back. "Ah! I see you've brought us a test subject. Do you think this'll actually work?"

Hojo set the baby onto the table. "Of course it'll work… This little baby will be our first SOLDIER. We're going to infuse him with Jenova's cells, and see what happens."

"This little baby, our first SOLDIER?" repeated Gast, casting an uncertain glance at the baby. "If you say so. What'll we call him then? For the sake of the project?"

"Hmm… I'm pretty sure Jenova will think of a name for her own son, don't you think?" asked Hojo with a cruel simper, picking the baby up and heading for the test tubes. "Start her up when I say so, and afterward, bring Miss Shinra in here. Her body will be used as some sort of avatar for Jenova."

"Miss Shinra's body?" asked Gast. "Why hers?"

"If we can keep Jenova alive by infusing her within a young body, neither of the two will ever age. She'll be at a young age forever when we succeed with this program. This way we can keep on engineering SOLDIERs here, natural or unnatural. Whoever has her cells will be extremely powerful."

"I see…" said Gast quietly.

"Besides, Jenova needs a physical form is she is to survive on this planet. And if I can get shachoo's wife out of his hair, he'll be sure to promote me to the highest ranking scientist here. I'll be world renowned when I succeed in this project!"

"When _we_ succeed in this project," corrected Gast sharply.

Hojo rolled his eyes. "Aye, fine. When _we_ succeed on this project." he looked down at the little baby for the last time. "When we succeed…"

**End of flashback…**

By now, the rest of the Turks had gathered and heard this story. Reno, Rude, Elena, and Vincent all showed signs of shock, but Tseng had listened almost vaguely, as if he had heard this story before. "You're kidding…" breathed Elena. "You used Miss Shinra on… as a body for Jenova…?"

Hojo nodded. "That's right. Now that you've seen her, and know where she came from, can you research her faults more diligently now?"

"That's not right!" cried Reno. "How could you have done such a thing!"

"It was easy," said Hojo with a carefree shrug. "But if you think it so awful, I could easily switch her with you, or someone else. It's all the same to me."

Reno growled and Rude hurriedly put in, "S-So, we'll go get started on our research now!"

Vincent looked over at Tseng. "You knew this story, don't you?"

"Yes, I heard this story before," answered Tseng calmly. "But that's not the point of our research. Miss Shinra can't be awakened; if Cloud has something to do with it, we'll find out how and why in our research."

"So I'd suggest you get going," said Hojo pointedly. "On your way."

Lucrecia saddened slightly as she watched the Turks shuffle out. "Hojo-sama, I know the Jenova project was your pride and joy… But I never knew that Jenova was put into Miss Shinra…"

"Lucrecia, what's done is done, there's no point in thinking about it," said Reeve before Hojo could respond. "For now, we must strive with what we do best. And that is science."

"Reeve is right, Lucrecia," said Hojo. "Let's not worry about it for now."

"But I…" started Lucrecia, then nodded slowly. "If you say so, Hojo-sama…"

"That's right," agreed Hojo, looking up at Jenova. "If I say so."  
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Well! That was a nice dramatic-comedy. I always love those, things that are a mix of drama and humor… Although I much prefer the drama. Oh, well. Keep eyes peeled for chapter 23! See you later!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…hi.

**A/N: **…yeah. More updates coming soon. Thanks for reading, as always. Carry on.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: A Completely RANDOM Experience**  
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Zack never thought he'd see another program for him to test after the whole BERSERK incident. But no, there was an unread e-mail from shachoo in his inbox.

**_To: zack(underscore)wolf(underscore)lover(at-symbol)yahoo(dot)com_**

_**From: From: shinra(underscore)electric(underscore)company(at-symbol)shinra(dot)company(dot)com**_

_**I have just received a new program to be tested right away. It's completed, and it was created by Vice President Rufus. You know who Rufus is, and when he has a program, he doesn't fool around with it. **_

_**Meet me in the room outside the waiting hall, where we'll witness the testing of all 130 RANDOMs, and the 4 DeadlyRANDOMs. Cloud Strife, of course, will be the test subject. I trust you won't hold any objections to these tests. Be there by 1:30 PM, all right?**_

_**Shachoo no Shinra Company**_

"…RANDOM?" repeated Zack, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Why would Rufus make a program as silly-sounding as**_ '_**RANDOM'…?" he sighed, closing his laptop. "As silly as RANDOM sounds, it also seems ominous… What could RANDOM possibly do?" Zack stood up and walked out of his room to go to Cloud's room. "Cloud," he said loudly, knocking on Cloud's door. "Wake up, it's time to wake up!"

"No, go away," moaned Cloud from inside.

"…are you okay?" asked Zack, opening the door. "Are you just tired or something? I warned you about staying up too late at night."

Cloud sniffled and hid his face in the pillow. "No, it's not that… I don't feel well today…"

"You don't!" gasped Zack, running over to Cloud. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," sniffed Cloud giving Zack a sideways glance from the pillow. "I felt a bit woozy last night, but this morning, I feel worse…" he sneezed loudly.

"Oh…let me take your temperature," said Zack in concern, taking off his glove to feel Cloud's forehead.

"…!" went Cloud, blushing greatly. "I--I feel fine!" he said quickly, sitting up. "Really! You--you don't have to trouble yourself with things like that!"

Zack blinked with his hand held in midair where Cloud's forehead once was. "But Cloud, you're running a fever…" _Oh, what am I going to tell him now?_ thought Zack sadly. _If Cloud's catching a cold, I shouldn't tell him about the RANDOM tests… _

Cloud sneezed again and said hurriedly, "I stayed out too late with Kumo while it was snowing. But I'm fine, really! Please don't worry about me."

"But, Cloud, you're hot to the touch," said Zack, putting his glove back on. "Didn't you know that if you spend too much time in the snow, you'll catch a cold?"

"I don't have a cold!" insisted Cloud with a pout. "Let's just go to breakfast, Zack!" he stood up, stumbling a little as he headed for the door.

"Cloud, really, just in case let's head for the infirmary! You said you weren't feeling well, remember?" said Zack.

"I was just exaggerating how tired I was," said Cloud with a wave of his hand. "A good writer loves to exaggerate."

"You're not a writer," argued Zack in confusion.

"That's not my point!" said Cloud loudly. "I mean to say is that I'm not sick, and you don't have to worry about me."

"What's this all of a sudden?" asked Zack in even more confusion. "One time, you would have jumped at the opportunity to have me take care of you… I thought you didn't mind…"

"…let's just move on," said Cloud, walking down the stairs.

Zack, however, stopped at the foot of the stairs. _It's as if he's becoming more like Sephiroth every single day…no, he _is_ becoming more like Sephiroth… Or he will,_ realized Zack. _The cloning process would have ridden Cloud of his original personality… little by little…_

Cloud stopped at the bottom of the stairs, putting a hand on his forehead. _My head aches… Maybe I should do as Zack says…What made me change my mind…? _that woozy feeling was returning, causing Cloud to sway on the spot slightly. _What was I thinking…? I feel awful… _he put a hand on his head to steady himself, but it was to no avail; he started to fall over backwards…

Zack caught Cloud easily. "Yep, we're definitely taking you to the infirmary," he said happily helping Cloud stand straight.

"Za--Zack!" stammered Cloud, looking up at Zack. "I… no, really, I'm not sick, okay? I feel fine…"

"Which is exactly why you're running a fever, you're a bit clammy, your eyes are glazed with weariness, and you nearly fainted on me."

Cloud tried to respond but ended up coughing terribly instead.

"Come on, let's go together," said Zack kindly, holding Cloud up as he walked him to the infirmary. "We gotta to something about that cold, huh?" asked Zack, giving Cloud's cheek a soothing yet quick stroke.

Cloud blushed slightly, then decided (silently) that it'd be no good to argue anyway. "Ok-okay, Zack, I'm not feeling well…"

Zack opened the infirmary door and called to the doctor, "Hey, doc, Cloud has a cold! Do something about it!"

The doctor looked up from his desk notes. "A cold? Cloud? Sigh," sighed the doctor wearily, standing up and heading for the two. "How many times am I going to see Mr. Strife in here, Zack?" he asked, placing his wrist over Cloud's forehead.

"As many times as necessary," said Zack matter-of-factly.

"It--It's no big deal," said Cloud, feeling kinda embarrassed right now.

"He has an intense fever," stated the doctor. "I'd say about 108 degrees! He has no cold; it's a bad case of the flu!"

"The flu!" repeated Zack and Cloud in shock.

"You're really sensitive to snow and cold, Cloud, it said so in your profile. What were you doing out in the snow on a cold snowy night?"

Cloud shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I was…seeing Kumo, my Chocobo."

"You're going to have to stay here for a few days," said the doctor, shaking his head. "It'll be no good if that flu spreads around to the other SOLDIERs…"

"But… But I…" started Zack. _Oh, how can I tell him now?_ thought Zack despairingly. _He has a terrible flu, and I'm about to tell him that he has an appointment to test a new program on him…?_

"Zack, what's wrong?" asked Cloud, looking up at Zack with worry.

"…Cloud, I can't lie to you," said Zack sadly, sitting down on one of the infirmary beds. "I received an e-mail from shachoo earlier this morning, and he says he got a new program to be tested on you. The 130 RANDOMs and the 4 DeadlyRANDOMs."

"RANDOM?" repeated Cloud, sitting down on the bed across from Zack.

"Shall I go get your medicine then?" asked the doctor to no one in particular, making his way to the medicine drawer.

"Oh, Cloud, I'm sorry!" wailed Zack suddenly. "I shouldn't have to tell you that I'm going to force yet another untested program on you when you have the flu, but… I--I have no choice! Shachoo ordered it!"

"Calm down, Zack!" said Cloud, waving a hand wildly. "I'll go ahead and just be tested on. You don't have to worry about me."

"But that just makes it worse!" yowled Zack. "No one knows what these combined total of 134 RANDOMs do! It could even kill you! It could make you feel pain worse then the stigma! It might make you do something you'll deeply regret later! It might make you unhappy, and the last thing I want is for my gift to be unhappy!"

Cloud opened his mouth in protest then closed it again, smiling shyly at the bed. "…that's right, I'm your birthday gift…" he remembered, putting a hand on the black ribbon.

"Exactly," said Zack, leaning over so he too could feel the ribbon. "That's why I can't let you test it today…"

"But I have to, or you'll get in trouble!" said Cloud in worry. "I don't want shachoo to get mad at you on my account!"

"But you have the flu!" said Zack sadly. "Surely shachoo will understand and let you off the hook today…"

"That's not very likely," said the doctor. "If I were you, Cloud, I'd just get those RANDOM tests over and done with, and come back here later when they're done."

"But that's--" started Zack.

"It's okay, I'll do it," interrupted Cloud. "It's better to just let the whole thing get done at once. Really, Zack, I'll be fine."

Zack could see that there was no changing Cloud's mind. He heaved a resigned sigh and said, "Fine, Cloud, if you say so… Let's go…" he led Cloud to the waiting hall. "Wait here," said Zack as he went to the room that was next to the waiting room. "Shachoo and I will be in that room, watching the progress of everything. If something goes wrong, I'm here. Don't forget it."

Cloud smiled up at Zack. "I won't ever forget you, Zack. Please don't worry about me so much."

"Why not? You do that to me," retorted Zack, giving Cloud's hair a ruffle. "Like I said, we'll be sharing each other's feelings from now on." he placed a hand on Cloud's forehead. "Everything, okay?"

"…" Cloud nodded. "Right, Zack…" he turned and entered the room. "…!" he went suddenly.

**With Zack…**

Zack didn't notice Cloud's gasp of surprise, as he was closing the door at the time and heading for the room next door. "Well, shachoo, shall we begin the RANDOM tests?" asked Zack.

"Oh? I don't have to give the orders, it's straight to the tests, is it?" asked shachoo. He shrugged. "Eh, doesn't matter. Just type 'RANDOM 1' and see what it does. All 130 RANDOMs do something different. We'll catalogue all the useful ones to the un-useful ones."

"And… the DeadlyRANDOM, shachoo?" asked Zack, sitting down and opening his laptop.

"There are only four, we'll test those later. But first…"

Zack was about to type when he noticed that Cloud wasn't the only one in the room. "Shachoo? What are Reno and Rude doing in there? Aren't they Turks? Shouldn't they be researching, not goofing off? I'll send them on their way right now."

"Oh, no, don't worry about them," said shachoo, waving an airy hand. "They're there just in case Cloud needs to do something to someone. Rude and Reno are expendable, even for Turks."

"…if you say so, shachoo," said Zack slowly, getting ready to type up "RANDOM 1" on his laptop.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud stared at Rude and Reno, and they stared back. "What are you two doing in here?" asked Cloud after a few seconds.

"Shachoo has asked us to wait in here for Cloud," answered Rude.

"Why would he do that? I thought all the Turks were the researchers of Shinra."

"Oh, no," laughed Reno. "We Turks do most of the dirty work in all of Shinra's dealings! We're the proud -beep-'s of Shinra!" Rude nodded in agreement.

"The proud -beep-'s of Shinra?" repeated Cloud, sitting down on the couch across from them. "Huh… Odd name. I wouldn't want to be called a -beep-…"

"Do you wanna know what we call the SOLDIERs?" asked Reno, eager to carry on the conversation. "They're the--"

"Reno, Reno, we'll have to censor out that one! This fanfic is rated T for Teen, not M for Mature!" exclaimed Rude, holding a sign that read "CENSORED" over his mouth.

Cloud stared at them; then he sighed and looked down at the table between the two couches, not saying anything more.

**With Zack…**

Zack sighed, and hit the enter button on his laptop.

**With Cloud…**

Reno rubbed his mouth. "Ouchie, you didn't have to hit the sign so hard," he muttered. "I was just carrying on the conversation."

"Reno, buddy, there are some things in life that are never to be said. Remember that." Rude removed the sign and shifted his position so he could sit more comfortably.

"HAHAHHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHA!" laughed Cloud suddenly.

"JC!" yelled Reno, "What was _that_ for!"

"AHAHHAHAAHAHHAA!" laughed Cloud some more. He rolled off of the couch, pounding the floor with hysterical, uncontrollable laughter.

Reno and Rude exchanged glances. "Well, at least he thinks I'm funny," said Reno as the two Turks watched Cloud laugh like crazy.

**With Zack…**

Zack raised an eyebrow as shachoo chuckled to himself. "Hah, how funny. Okay, so RANDOM 1 makes you laugh…" he wrote that down on his clipboard. "Very well. You can cancel that one out, and get ready for number 2."

"Okay, shachoo," said Zack, canceling the program. _I didn't know Cloud could laugh like that,_ Zack found himself thinking. _He has a cute laugh… kinda like a Chocobo. How cute,_ thought Zack with a bunny smile as he got ready to type RANDOM 2.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud suddenly stopped laughing. "Oh, my god…!" he gasped, sitting up. "I'm all out of breath…!" panting slightly, Cloud shuffled back to the couch.

Rude and Reno exchanged glances again, and Rude asked tentatively, "Hey, are you okay?"

"What?" asked Cloud, looking up.

"I didn't know I was that funny," said Reno.

"No, it wasn't you," said Cloud. "It was the RANDOM program…"

"Wha?" asked Reno. "Random?"

"No, RANDOM. It's all capitalized."

"That doesn't make sense," muttered Reno, scratching his head.

"Oh, that's right, shachoo said we'd be the test subjects for a new program he got from Rufus," said Rude. "Remember, he told us that during breakfast."

"Oh! Now I remember!"

"I think he used the word 'expendable', but it could've been my imagination. Because we're not expendable!"

"Damn right!" agreed Reno.

Cloud sighed again, leaning back on the couch. _I hope this doesn't take a long time…_ he thought as he watched Rude and Reno talk to each other. _I'm feeling very woozy again…_

**With Zack…**

Zack typed up "RANDOM 2" on Cloud's program and hit enter.

**With Cloud…**

"Are we gonna get lunch?" asked Reno. "I'm hungry!"

"I think I have some blood sausage in here, you like blood sausage?"

"I love blood sausage."

Neither of them noticed Cloud slowly lifting his head to glare at them. He looked between Rude and Reno, sizing up one who would be weaker then the other.

"It would taste better with some ketchup," said Reno.

Rude was about to agree when he noticed Cloud's expression. "…? Uh, Cloud? You angry about something?"

Cloud was indeed looking quite angry, glaring at Reno, then at Rude, then at Reno, then at Rude, muttering something under his breath.

"What's he saying?" asked Reno.

"…eenie meenie miney moe…" muttered Cloud, pointing alternatively at Rude and Reno.

"I think he's trying to decide something," said Rude quietly.

"What does he need to decide?" asked Reno quietly.

"…I don't know, but he looks a bit scary now…"

"…and you are not it…" muttered Cloud, pointing at Rude. Slowly he pulled out his sword and stood up.

Rude and Reno exchanged glances, and looked at Cloud to see what he would do.

Cloud let out a war cry and charged at Rude.

"JC!" yelled Rude, quickly moving out of the way. "What's _your_ problem!"

**With Zack…**

Zack gasped in surprise as shachoo chuckled to himself again. "I like this," he said approvingly. "I like this very much." he made another note on his clipboard. "Go ahead and cancel the program. Get ready to use number 3."

"S-Sure, shachoo," stammered Zack, quickly canceling the program. _My, that one was scary,_ thought Zack shakily.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud had managed to corner Rude and was about to stab him when the program was canceled. "…a-re?" he asked, looking around. "What was I doing?"

"You were attacking me, you crazy Chocobo!" yowled Rude, fixing his necktie.

Cloud glared. "Don't call me Chocobo," he hissed, sheathing his sword and sitting back down on the couch.

Reno ran over to Rude. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," said Rude, taking Reno's hand so he could be pulled up. "Thanks for worrying about me."

"Hey, for you, it's anything," said Reno, sitting down on the couch.

Cloud put a hand to his forehead. _Now I have a bad headache…_

**With Zack…**

Zack looked down at Cloud, saddening slightly. _Poor kid… he should be resting now… Oh, this had better be worth it…_ Zack typed up the next RANDOM and hit enter.

**With Cloud…**

Rude dusted himself off and sat down next to Reno. "What do you suppose he'll do next?" asked Rude.

"I don't know, maybe something funny like running around like a Chocobo."

Cloud stood up and ran around the room, flapping his arms and cawing like a Chocobo. "Caw, caw, caw!" he went.

Rude and Reno blinked and exchanged glances. "How did you know?" asked Rude.

"I didn't it was just a wild guess…" said Reno, staring at Cloud weirdly. "But he does Chocobo pretty good."

"Yeah, cause he looks like one," remarked Rude.

**With Zack…**

"Aaw! That is soo cute!" squealed Zack as shachoo made another note.

"Okay, so RANDOM 3 makes you act like a Chocobo… that's an odd program," said shachoo. "Well, you know the drill now."

"Right, shachoo," said Zack, canceling the program sadly. _But he's soo cute when he acts like a Chocobo…_

**With Cloud…**

Cloud stopped running, flapping, and cawing, and looked around. "What was I doing just now?" he asked.

"You were running to and fro like the Chocobo you are," said Reno. "It was kinda cute."

"I'm _not_ a Chocobo," insisted Cloud, stomping his foot in frustration. "I wish people would quit calling me Chocobo!"

"But surely even you know that you look like a Chocobo," said Rude.

Cloud growled and sat down on the couch, crossing his arms huffily and looking away from Rude and Reno.

"Yep, Chocobo-like behavior, all right," laughed Reno.

"I wonder what he'll do next," said Rude.

**With Zack…**

Zack typed up "RANDOM 4" and hit enter.

**With Cloud…**

"You know, even though there's a chance we might die, these RANDOMs are kinda fun!" said Reno.

Cloud glanced at Reno to say something, but he stopped suddenly.

"Ooh, he's about to do something," said Reno excitedly.

"I wonder what he'll do?" asked Rude, leaning over the couch arm casually while tapping the rod he was holding against the couch.

Cloud stood up and slowly walked towards Reno.

"What, you got something to say to me?" asked Reno.

Rude dropped the rod. "Oh, oops," he said, reaching over the couch to get it.

Suddenly Cloud grabbed Reno by the face and gave him a large kiss.

"Hah! Got it," said Rude, sitting back up. He noticed what Cloud was doing, lowering the sunglasses slightly to get a better look. "Oh! That's not right!"

**With Zack…**

Both Zack and shachoo were gaping lightly at the scene below them. "…ok-okay!" said shachoo, makin another note on his clipboard. "RANDOM 4 makes you a romantic sort…"

"I'll cancel it right away!" said Zack, quickly canceling the program.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud had just pulled away when he realized that he was pretty close to Reno's face. "Awa!" he yelled in surprise, backing up.

"I could say the same thing!" yowled Reno, wiping his mouth. "Oh, no!" he yowled again.

"Are you okay!" asked Rude, trying hard not to laugh.

Reno burst into hysterical tears. "That--That Chocobo… STOLE MY FIRST KISS! WAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Cloud stiffly walked to the couch, sitting down in shock and horror. _Oh, man,_ he thought suddenly. _It should've been Zack…!_

"There, there, it's all fine now," said Rude, patting Reno on the back.

"I WAS SAVING MY FIRST KISS FOR ELENA!" wailed Reno loudly.

Cloud looked down at the floor. _Sigh… we're gonna be at this all day…_

**A few hours later…**

Cloud was shuffling a deck of cards while Reno and Rude watched interestedly. "He's pretty good at that," remarked Reno.

"Yeah, he shuffles cards like there's no tomorrow," remarked Rude.

**With Zack…**

"Okay, then," muttered shachoo, writing it down. "The final RANDOM, number 130, makes you shuffle cards…"

"That doesn't seem very useful," commented Zack, canceling the program. "What about the 4 DeadlyRANDOMs?"

"Oh, don't worry, we'll do those tomorrow," said shachoo.

"Why not right now?"

"Because," started shachoo, stifling a yawn. "I'm… busy right now. We'll continue the test tomorrow, same time, same place. You got it?"

"Fine, shachoo," said Zack. "I hope it won't be that deadly…" he closed his laptop and hurried into the room Cloud was in.

"I shuffled all of these cards?" asked Cloud.

"Yeah, you were a shuffling machine you were!" exclaimed Rude.

"It was cool, the way you shuffled those cards!" added Reno.

Zack looked at Rude and Reno to see what other damage they suffered. Rude's sunglasses were taped in the middle, his necktie was shredded slightly, and he had a bandage behind his ear; Reno's hair was a slight mess, one of his pant legs were torn up, and his electronic rod was bent in half. _Someone had fun writing this program,_ thought Zack as he headed for Cloud.

Cloud looked up at Zack and ran over to him. "Oh, hi Zack!" he said happily.

"How are you feeling?" asked Zack concernedly.

"I feel a bit woozy," admitted Cloud. "But I'm really glad to see you again! We've been in there for about seven or eight hours!"

"We were?" asked Rude and Reno at the same time. "We'd better get going," added Rude.

"Yeah, you're right!" said Reno, and the two of them hurried out of the room, calling over their shoulder, "See you later!"

"So tomorrow we'll continue?" asked Cloud as he and Zack walked p the stairs.

"Yes, sadly, we will," said Zack.

Cloud held Zack's arm. "As long as I'll see you again too…"

"I know, don't worry," said Zack, and he and Cloud entered Zack's room.  
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Wow, this was a long chapter… Phew. See you in a little bit! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **That was a long chapter.

**A/N: **I know, wasn't it? …huh, so will this chapter…bah, whatever.

You think my au-ness is weird… So many different opinions. Well, as I have said many, _many_ chapters ago, this fanfic is in now way affiliated with the game, nor the movie. Not at all. I might take ideas from both, like the Advent Children outfit (cause I liked it a lot), adding Fenrir (it was by request), Tifa liking Cloud (-shifty-eye glare), Cid being Shinra's (ex)Finest Astronomer (Cid's funny by himself), Sephiroth's one wing thing, Vincent being a Turk once (he was a Turk), Rufus being the vice president before his father (the current shachoo)… I hope I didn't leave anything out.

Yes, I might take some ideas from the game/movie, but a majority of this fanfic is all original ideas. At least 80 percent is my original ideas. Maybe a few of these ideas came from that Final Fantasy VII Anime I've been hearing about… I think it was called "Last Order". Is it gonna be a real anime? …we're getting off the subject.

It was pretty obvious that this wasn't going to take from the game/movie at all, seeing as Cloud never actually made it in SOLDIER in the game. In this fanfic, he did, hence the title "Life as a SOLDIER". This was a perspective on, and I quote from my summary, "A look at what the world would've been like if Shinra was a good company", un-quote. Shinra is NOT using mako as energy here. It's…uh, something else, but it's not mako.

**Chapter Twenty-Four: A Party Invitation**  
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The rest of that day had been something of a blur to Cloud, and when he woke up the next morning, he was still feeling a bit unwell. He lifted his head slightly, and even then his vision was slightly blurred. "…ugh…" he uttered, falling back onto the pillow. "I feel worse then yesterday…"

Zack, who was sitting at the table, looked back. "Oh! You're awake. But you feel worse?" he hurried over to Cloud, putting a wrist over his forehead. "Wow, you're boiling."

"I am?" asked Cloud. "No wonder I feel so awful…"

"Oh, poor Cloud…" said Zack, sitting down on the bed. "And we have to do those four DeadlyRANDOMs today… And you still have the flu… I wish there was something I could do to help," said Zack sadly, placing a cool cloth on Cloud's forehead.

"What are you doing?" asked Cloud, feeling the cloth curiously.

"Old tricks are the best tricks," said Zack with a smile. "Apparently, you aren't the only SOLDIER with a flu. There were at least twenty others with a cold, and two more have a flu too. The infirmary's filled up, so I decided I'd take care of you here manually. The cool cloth is to try to cool your fever down."

"Oh…Okay," said Cloud. "I'm gonna have to get up eventually… I should try to stand up now…"

"Are you sure?" asked Zack. "You shouldn't push yourself, Cloud. If you need to rest the whole morning, then do so."

"No, I-I'll try," said Cloud, sitting up shakily. "I can't let a little flu hold me down…"

"This is considerably more then 'a little flu'," said Zack concernedly. "I just took your temperature before you woke up, it went from 108 degrees to 111 degrees! It's a wonder you're still conscious!"

"111 is a bad?" asked Cloud while rubbing his eyes.

"It's near fatal!" exclaimed Zack.

"It is? But I… I'm fine, really," said Cloud, hopping off of the bed. He started for the door, but stumbled suddenly and fell to the ground, coughing heavily.

"That's not fine, Cloud," said Zack, rushing over to help Cloud up. "You have a terrible flu, Cloud. You should attempt to rest the entire morning…"

"No, I can't," said Cloud, standing up. "I have to overcome this…"

"Not if you kill yourself first," said Zack in worry. "Please, Cloud, don't try to be tough now, not when you need rest."

"But I can't become stronger if I can't tough this out," said Cloud, putting a hand on his head. "Tifa never cared if she was sick or not, she was always strong, always carrying out her day, even is she had a flu. I want to be like that too…"

Zack saddened a little. "I guess it's easy to be outshined by friends, huh?" he asked. "But Cloud, Tifa is…" _What should I say? Stronger? More mature? Female?_ Zack sighed. "If you say so, Cloud… But if you stumble and fall again, it's back to bed for you!"

Cloud smiled at Zack. "Thanks for understanding…" together they walked down the stairs to breakfast. "I hope we have something yummy for breakfast," said Cloud as he sat down.

Zack nodded, sitting down too. "I haven't heard what they were announcing for breakfast this morning…"

"Don't worry, Zack, we have!" said a voice, and Zack's two SOLDIER friends arrived. "It's cinnamon rolls, sausage, and waffles," said the other SOLDIER.

"Oh, thanks guys," said Zack.

"Is something wrong with Cloud?" asked one SOLIDER, pointing at Cloud, who was lying his head on the table. "His face looks red."

"Cloud has a flu," said Zack sadly.

"But I feel fine," insisted Cloud, even though he himself felt woozy and his vision was still slightly blurred.

"Wow, a lot of people are catching colds and flus," commented the other SOLDIER. "So Cloud caught it too?"

"I guess so," said Zack. "And on top of that, we have to finish those DeadlyRANDOM tests today…"

"Dude, we heard about that," said one SOLDIER. "I heard that Rufus had developed a new program, but I had no idea he would test it on you!"

"It seems that using blondes for guinea pigs run in the family," remarked the other SOLIDER. "I overheard a bunch of Turks talking about shachoo and the whereabouts of his wife. I didn't hear it all, but from what I heard, shachoo's wife, who was referred to as 'Miss Shinra', was used in some kind of experiment ordered by shachoo himself. That's all I heard."

"That's really reassuring," muttered Cloud sarcastically.

Zack, however, seemed interested. "Is that really all you heard?"

"Yeah, that's about it," said the other SOLDIER. "Ooh, breakfast is ready!" he ran up to go get some, one SOLDIER behind him.

"Hey, wait!" called Zack, chasing after them.

Cloud sat up for a second, then changed his mind. _Nah, I don't feel like having breakfast this morning…_ he rested his head on the table again and sighed.

The three came back five minutes later with full plates of cinnamon rolls, sausages, and waffles. "Yum! This looks good!" said one SOLDIER.

"Yeah, it is!" agreed the other SOLDIER.

Zack was about to agree too when he realized that Cloud was sitting down still. "Cloud, you didn't go get breakfast?" asked Zack. "Is your flu that bad?"

"No, nothing like that," said Cloud, "I'm just not hungry this morning…"

"Are you sure?" asked one SOLDIER.

"Breakfast is good this morning," said the other SOLDIER, munching on a waffle. "I mean, the cinnamon roll's fresh, straight from the oven, and the sausage tastes ripe and fresh…"

"I'm not hungry," repeated Cloud.

"If you say so," shrugged one SOLDIER, unwrapping his cinnamon roll.

Zack ate his breakfast quickly, keeping an eye on Cloud. _I hope to cure him soon,_ he thought as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Are you done?" asked Cloud. "Let's get ready for those tests…"

"We don't have to get ready right away," said Zack hurriedly. "We have to be there by 1:30, and its only 8:49 AM. We can just hang out until then, huh?"

"If we get there early, can we get it over and done with early?" asked Cloud.

"No, shachoo is all about punctuality. If he says a testing occurs at 1:30 sharp, then by gum, the testing starts at 1:30! He's pretty strict about it."

"…then what can I do until 1:30?"

"We could check e-mail, practice flying, see our Chocobo…"

"Then I'll check my e-mail, and meet you outside for flying practice, okay?" asked Cloud.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" asked Zack. "I wouldn't want to leave you alone if you not feeling well…"

"I'll be fine," promised Cloud, smiling up at Zack. "Really."

"…fine. I'll meet you outside in thirty minutes. Be careful," called Zack as he went outside.

Cloud waved to him and trudged up the stairs, heading for his room. "Man, I feel so dizzy…" he muttered as he opened the door to his room. "I had a flu this bad before… but that was a long time ago…" Cloud slumped onto his bed, coughing a little. "I hope this passes soon…" he sat up and pulled out his laptop from under the bed, and opened up his e-mail. Yep, there was one unread e-mail from Tifa.

**_To: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**

_**From: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**All the trouble is over, and everyone here in Midgar is just fine. I hope you're feeling better now. I'm sorry I haven't e-mailed in a while, but my e-mail was down, and it took a while to get it working again. **_

_**I'm doing brilliantly, and Cid is just great. We're making great business with the bar, and we're even thinking about expanding the bar. Hah, wishful thinking. Maybe you could come by this weekend? It's Thanksgiving this Thursday! I do hope you can come, it'll be so great! Bring your friend if you decide to come, all right?**_

_**Tifa Lockhart**_

Cloud smiled to himself. _I'd love to go top the bar for Thanksgiving weekend… Hopefully, we get to have another one of this visits to see our friends and family…_

**_To: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com_**

_**From: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**I'm doing good, too, even though I have a terrible flu right now… But don't worry about me, I'll be just fine, I have Zack with me, and to me, that's more reassuring then anything else!**_

_**I want to come over for Thanksgiving dinner too, but I'm not sure if we can go anywhere for Thanksgiving… I'll see what I can do for Zack and I to make it to the dinner, okay? It'll be great to see you again! Cloud Strife**_

Cloud hit the send button, signed out, and closed his laptop. _If I'm feeling better by Thanksgiving, then I'll certainly eat a lot this year…_ He hopped of his bed and hurried down stairs, outside to meet Zack. "Zack, I'm here!"

Zack looked around at Cloud. "Oh, Cloud! That's good, I thought for a second that you…. Never mind. Let's get started."

"What are we gonna do first?" asked Cloud.

"We're gonna practice flying today!" said Zack happily. "At that same cliff. Are you ready?"

Cloud looked own the 112 feet high cliff, then slowly nodded. "Sure, anytime you are ready."

"All righty!" said Zack, giving Cloud a push off of the cliff.

"AWAAAAAAAaaaaaaa…" Cloud's yell became more fainter as he fell down.

Zack looked down the cliff, wincing slightly. "Maybe we need to work on that one…" he muttered slightly after hearing a crash that indicated that Cloud met the ground.

**Four hours later…**

Cloud climbed up the cliff wearily, dusty all over. "Wah…" he muttered, pulling himself up. "I'm not very good at this flying thing yet, am I?"

"No, not really," said Zack truthfully. "But your getting better! All we need is practice! Practice makes perfect after all."

Cloud nodded, dusting himself off. "Yeah, we should try to practice every single day. I'll get better at flying, one day…"

"But right now, I think we've had enough," said Zack, checking the clock inside the laptop. "Whoa, I didn't know we were practicing that long! It's already 12:30 PM!"

"It is!" asked Cloud, running to the laptop. "Oh, no! That means we have only one hour to get ready for the tests! And only thirty minute to spend with our Chocobo!"

"We'd better hurry!" added Zack. The two of them hurried towards the Chocobo Garden, spending time with their Chocobo. "Man, only thirty minutes to enjoy with you two," said Zack sadly, scratching the back of Fuzzy's head.

"It should be longer," agreed Cloud, cuddling Kumo. "But as long as I can see Kumo today," he said to Kumo happily.

"Caw," agreed Kumo.

Fuzzy, though thoroughly enjoying being scratched on the head, was giving Cloud a shifty-eyed glare.

Cloud looked up at the sky. "No matter what the weather is elsewhere, the weather here is always fair and calm… I wonder why that is?"

"It must be because of Shinra," said Zack. "According to some rumors, shachoo has a soft spot for Chocobo. Maybe he has a furnace hidden in this garden to keep it all grassy and snow-and-rain-free."

"I guess he does…" said Cloud quietly.

"Caw!" squawked Fuzzy suddenly, glaring at Cloud angrily.

"What's that? You think Cloud's gonna 'try to steal me'?" asked Zack, smiling at Fuzzy. "Honestly, Fuzzy, you say the weirdest things."

"Caw, caw, caw! Caw!" hissed Fuzzy.

Cloud blinked in surprise at Fuzzy. "What--What does Fuzzy mean by 'try to steal you'! I don't want to steal anyone!"

"Caw!" growled Fuzzy angrily.

"Fuzzy, calm down," said Zack, patting Fuzzy's head. "I think Fuzzy is just a little cranky this afternoon."

"What is Fuzzy saying?" asked Cloud nervously, hiding Kumo away from the angry Chocobo.

"Caw," said Kumo sadly.

"Caw!" agreed Fuzzy.

"How funny. Fuzzy says that you like me as in more then just friends," smiled Zack. "And Kumo agrees too. Fuzzy thinks that you'll start liking me, and that you'll make me like you too, and that I'll forget about Fuzzy."

Cloud gaped at Zack, Fuzzy, and Kumo. What Fuzzy had said was so close to the truth that Cloud was caught off guard. "Do-Does he now?"

"But Fuzzy always says crazy things," laughed Zack, patting Fuzzy's head. "Because you told me you like Tifa, right?"

"I--Yeah, I do," said Cloud quickly.

"See, Fuzzy? Cloud likes me as a friend."

"Caw caw!" argued Fuzzy.

"I know he's a little bi, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to be his friend," said Zack kindly, smiling at Cloud. "After all, I think you have a little infatuation with Sephiroth, don't you?"

"Wha--! No, no I don't!" stammered Cloud.

Zack looked up at the sky, chuckling to himself slightly. "Methinks Cloud's a little red in the face."

"I--I have a flu!" reminded Cloud, glancing away hurriedly. "Anyway, we should get going now!"

"How right you are!" said Zack. "Fuzzy, we'll see you later, hmm?"

"Caw!" said Fuzzy angrily, glaring at Cloud.

"No, he'll be there too, Fuzzy. Don't be so rude to Cloud, Fuzzy," scolded Zack. "Come on, Cloud."

"Bye, Kumo," said Cloud, setting Kumo onto the grass. "See you later."

"Caw!" called Kumo, waving a wing.

"See you," added Zack again, and the two of them hurried back to Shinra. "Man, I hope we're not late!" said Zack. "You'd better hurry into that waiting room."

"Ok-Okay," said Cloud, now feeling slightly anxious. _When they say "DeadlyRANDOM",_ thought Cloud suddenly, _do they mean deadly for me, or deadly for someone else?_ He entered the room, and wasn't surprised to see Rude and Reno already awaiting. "…"

"Hey, Cloud," said Rude.

"Shachoo asked us to wait in here again," said Reno. "As long as I can get away from researching endless hours again, I don't mind… As long as you don't kiss me again," he added warningly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I won't," muttered Cloud, sitting down on the couch, looking down at the table.

"We have about five minutes before shachoo arrives," said Rude. "Maybe we could make conversation, what say you?"

Cloud didn't answer.

"Rude, remember he doesn't like to talk," reminded Reno. "He's that shy and quiet little SOLDIER."

"Oh, yeah, the one who, before he came to Shinra, had one of Jenova's cells inside of him. But still, even he would know how to talk."

"He doesn't like talking to people," said Reno.

"No, I do, I just don't talk very much," said Cloud quietly. "Sometimes it's just better to listen to people, otherwise you miss something you should've heard."

"But its good to let yourself be heard too," said Rude. "What if you too have something that should be heard, but you're too busy listening to others?"

Cloud didn't say anything.

"I guess that means he doesn't think highly of himself at all," whispered Reno to Rude.

"Maybe one of us need to learn that lesson too," whispered Rude back. Reno was about to agree, then he realized what Rude meant and scowled at Rude, not responding.

**With Zack…**

Zack looked around. "Oh? Shachoo isn't here yet…? Strange, I thought he'd be here to tell me about these DeadlyRANDOMs…"

"What? I'm here," said shachoo, entering the room.

"Ah! Oh, of course, there you are, shachoo. We gonna begin the tests now?"

"Sure, why not?" asked shachoo, sitting down at his spot. "I don't need to explain it, as well see how it's done, won't we?"

"I…guess…" said Zack slowly, opening the laptop. "I hope this doesn't kill anyone…" said Zack.

"With a name like 'deadly', tell me what you think."

Zack sighed. "Whatever…" he typed up "DeadlyRANDOM 1".  
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**Ooh! What will the DeadlyRANDOMs do? Find out next chapter!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Deadly, although it won't be so deadly.

**A/N: **Let's see what happens.

**Chapter Twenty-Five: A DeadlyRANDOM Experience**  
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Cloud sat down on the sofa, and didn't say anything. Rude and Reno sat on the opposite couch, awaiting Cloud to do something. "What do you suppose he'll do today?" asked Rude.

"I don't know, something good I hope," said Reno.

Cloud stood up suddenly, and walked towards the window.

"…?" went Rude and Reno at the same time, watching.

Cloud drew out his sword, turned around, and threw one sword at the ceiling, hitting the light bulb. It started sparking like crazy.

"Ah!" yelled Reno and Rude in surprise, hopping off of the couch.

Cloud seized this opportunity of their distraction to zoom over to them and beat the hell out of them.

**With Zack…**

"Oh my!" cried Zack.

"Wow, that's pretty intense," commented shachoo, writing down some more notes.

Zack quickly canceled the program. "Jeez, what kind of program is that! Rufus must be mad to write a program like that!"

"It'll be very useful one day," contradicted shachoo. "Cancel it and move on to the next program."

Zack nodded. "Right, shachoo…"

**With Cloud…**

Cloud stopped in his tracks, looking around. "My, what a mess," he exclaimed, heading for the sofa.

Rude and Reno were lying on the ground with anime swirly eyes. "It hurts…" whined Reno.

"I know…" whined Rude.

Cloud stared at them. "What happened to you two?"

"As if you don't know," muttered Reno, he and Rude heading back for the couch. "You beat the hell out of us, that's what you did!"

"Oh…"

"Don't play innocent! You know you did!"

"Reno, Reno, calm down," said Rude, patting Reno on the back. "It's all right. We're getting paid extra to do this, remember?"

That calmed Reno down. "Yep, okay then!"

**With Zack…**

Zack typed up the next DeadlyRANDOM and hit enter.

**With Cloud…**

"At least it won't take too long, right?"

"Right…"

Cloud looked between Rude and Reno, apparently trying to decided something.

"Hey, he's doing it again," whispered Rude to Reno.

"Who's gonna be the victim this time?" asked Reno back quietly.

Cloud had reached a decision; he chucked his sword away and dived from the couch to Reno, trying to strangle him.

"Aah!" yelled Reno in surprise.

"Oh my god, Reno!" yelled Rude in surprise.

**With Zack…**

"What an animal," commented shachoo, writing down notes.

"Strangling someone is kinda hard to do, especially with your bare hands" said Zack, canceling the program. "But I suppose it'll come in handy one day…"

"It sure will," agreed shachoo. "I can't wait to see the last two DeadlyRANDOMs."

**With Cloud…**

Cloud blinked, released Reno, picked up his sword, and sat down on the couch again.

"GASP!" gasped Reno, taking a deep breath. "I thought I was gonna die!" he wailed. "I saw a brilliant bright light! It was my grandma!"

"Your grandma's dead," said Rude in confusion.

"You don't have to remind me!" sobbed Reno. "I loved my grandma! She baked me cookies every Friday!"

Cloud blinked, looking between Reno and Rude. "Your grandma baked you cookies?" he asked.

"Yep! Chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raison cookies, you name it! She'd bake them for me, because I was her one and only grandson!"

"So, being her one and only grandson, was she your one and only grandma?" asked Rude, still slightly confused. Reno cried out and sobbed hysterically onto Rude. "Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Rude, rubbing his back affectionately. "I forgot how much you loved your grandma…"

_At least you can remember her,_ thought Cloud, looking down at the table sadly. _I don't remember my family at all…_

**With Zack…**

Zack typed up "DeadlyRANDOM 3" on Cloud's program. "I hope they'll be all right," he said, and hit enter.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud drew out 4 of the 8 swords, combining them. Rude looked up. "Hey, what's he gonna do now?"

Reno stopped sobbing hysterically and looked up at Cloud. "I dunno, maybe he's gonna show us a fancy sword trick?"

Cloud raised the combined sword, powering up for an attack.

"…" went Rude and Reno, awaiting the whatever it was that was coming.

Suddenly, Cloud slammed the sword down, sending a burst of energy at Rude and Reno, causing a small, explosion inside the room (imagine the move Cloud did in AC when he parried Loz's attack in the Forgotten City).

"Aah!" yelled Rude and Reno in surprise.

**With Zack…**

Zack raised an eyebrow. "That's a cool attack…"

"Excellent, really excellent," muttered shachoo, writing down the results. "Cancel and get the next one ready."

"Yes, sir," said Zack, canceling the program. He typed up DeadlyRANDOM 4 on th programming.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud lowered the sword in confusion. "Whoa, what happened in here?"

Reno and Rude were swirly-eyed on the ground again. "Ow…"

Cloud stood up, combined the rest of his swords, and yelled out, "Materia!"

"What's that?" asked Rude, looking up.

Cloud looked around the room. "No, there's no materia in here…"

"He's talking in the fourth person," said Reno. "And what the hell is materia?"

"Uhm… I think it was some kind of power made from the Lifestream," said Rude. "I only heard about it once…"

**With Zack…**

"DeadlyRANDOM 4 makes you talk in the fourth person?" asked Zack curiously.

"He's asking for materia," said shachoo. "Give him one and see what he does."

"Where can I get materia?" asked Zack. "Materia is hard to get your hands on."

"Not when you're the shachoo of Shinra Company," answered shachoo, pulling a materia from his pocket.

Zack gasped out loud. "Did you pull that materia from your arse!"

Shachoo chuckled and tossed Zack the materia. "Give it to Cloud and see what he'll do with it."

"…" went Zack as he caught the materia. It was a light blue materia, and Zack could feel some power from it. "This is the power of the Lifestream?" he asked.

"Yes, it is. Now quit stalling and give it to him!"

Zack jumped. "Yes, sir!" He stood up and hurried to the room Cloud was in, where Cloud was still searching for a materia.

"Where's a materia…?" he asked, searching the desk drawers.

Reno and Rude looked at Zack. "You brought him a materia?" asked Rude in disbelief. "I'd have hoped you'd just give up and cancel the program…"

Zack ignored him, walking towards Cloud slowly. "Cloud? Hey, Cloud?"

Cloud stopped in his search to look back at Zack, then he noticed the materia in his hand.

"…you want the materia?" asked Zack, holding it out. "I bet you want the pretty materia, don't you?" he waved it around, Cloud's gaze following the path of the materia. He chucked to himself. "How cute."

"For goodness sake, just give it to him!" yowled Reno.

Zack jumped, dropping the materia. It rolled across the room to Reno's feet. "Oh, oops!"

Reno picked the materia up curiously. "Wow, this thing is so sparkly… I love things that sparkle."

Cloud narrowed his eyes and charged at Reno. "MATERIA!" he yelled, tackling Reno, toppling the two over the couch.

Rude casually looked over the other side of the couch. "Wow, tough fight," he commented.

Zack looked over too. "Oh, they're fighting over the materia…"

"It's mine!" yelled Reno.

"No, it's mine!" yelled Cloud.

They continued to struggle over the materia. Rude and Zack watched interestedly. "Wow, they're gonna kill each other!" exclaimed Rude. "Wanna watch?"

"Yeah, all right," said Zack.

"Give me my materia back!" yowled Cloud.

"No, it's mine now!" yowled Reno back.

"Blue materia are useless, give it to me!"

"If it's so useless, then why do you want it so much!"

"Cause it's mine!"

"Never!"

After a few more minutes of struggle, Cloud stood up with the light blue materia. "Yay! It's mine, I got it back!"

"No…"

"I wonder what he'll do with the materia…?" asked Zack to himself, leaving the room to go back to the room shachoo was in. "Is that light blue materia really useless?"

Shachoo shrugged. "Sometimes it is. If used right, it can really power you up. Other then that, it sells good on the market. You're talking about 140,000 gil per blue materia."

"Wow, that is a lot…" said Zack, watching Cloud's progress.

**With Cloud…**

Reno sighed angrily, sitting down on the couch. "Darn it, it was mine…"

"You can't have everything your way," said Rude wisely.

Cloud smiled fondly at the blue materia in his hand, took his sword, and turned around so Rude and Reno couldn't see.

"What's he doing?" asked Reno.

"Maybe he's powering his weapon?" asked Rude.

He was; Cloud turned around and both Rude and Reno could see the weapon was glowing rather ominously. Cloud raised the sword slowly, about to bring it down on the two…

**With Zack…**

Zack gasped and quickly canceled the program while shachoo laughed to himself. "How funny," he said. "He was gonna us the materia to power up the weapon and kill them both…" he stood up. "Good job, Zack."

"I don't enjoy it," muttered Zack, closing the laptop. "You shouldn't make Cloud the guinea pig all the time," he said.

"I know I shouldn't," said shachoo, heading for the door. "But I do anyway. Even you must admit that Strife makes a perfect test subject."

"No, I don't," said Zack sadly, but shachoo just smiled evilly and left the room. "I'd better go see Cloud!" he decided, rushing into the room.

Rude and Reno were at the door, both bumping into Zack. "Oh, hi Zack," said Rude politely.

"Your friend fainted on the couch," added Reno. "I think he has a cold or something."

"Oh, my!" cried Zack, rushing to the collapsed figure on the couch. "Oh, poor Cloud," said Zack, smiling a little. "Let me help you to your room…" Zack picked Cloud up and hurried up the stairs.

Rude and Reno exchanged glances. "You know what? We're alive," said Rude.

"Wow, I guess we are!" agreed Reno, and the two hurried back to their research room while Zack hurried Cloud to his room.  
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Hee… wasn't that bad. Not too deadly, but it was okay. As always, thanks for reading. And if I don't update in a while, don't worry… I'll be pretty busy with other things the rest of this week, so you might not hear from me in a while. Don't despair, though, I'll be back! I always do return for you loyal listeners! -smiles- See you later!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **I always loved Thanksgiving…but isn't it a bit too early for Thanksgiving?

**A/N: **Never too early for anything! Geez, Disclaimer, go with the flow! …-smiles- Heh, Heh… Uh, let's continue!

**Chapter Twenty-Six: A Semi-Disastrous Preparation**  
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Cloud blinked awake. The last thing he remembered was attacking Reno and Rude inside that room. "…what happened…?" he asked, sitting up.

"Oh! You're awake!" said Zack happily. "That's good. I worried while you were asleep. You seemed to have fainted from exhaustion. But at least your flu is getting better. You feel better, right?"

Cloud put a hand to his forehead cautiously. "Yeah… I feel just fine…"

"Good, I knew that cure-all would work," said Zack. "It's a program we SOLDIERs all use to cure everything. It usually doesn't work on illnesses, but you're feeling just fine, so I can stop worrying."

"Thanks, for taking care of me," said Cloud shyly, smiling at the pillow.

"It's no problem," said Zack. "So what are we gonna do today?"

"Oh, that's right!" said Cloud, hopping out of the bed and going to his laptop. "I got an e-mail from Tifa inviting me to come to her Thanksgiving dinner! She said I could bring you!"

"She did? That's nice of her."

"The problem is, I'm not sure if we'll be able to come," said Cloud sadly. "I'm not sure if we're allowed to leave Shinra for Thanksgiving…"

"No, we're not," said Zack.

Cloud hung his head slightly. "What am I gonna tell Tifa? She always invited me to Thanksgiving dinner… I never could make it because she always had company, but this one time I might be able to make it, I'm turning her down…"

"Well, you wouldn't have to turn her down…" said Zack slowly, walking towards the window.

"What do you mean?" asked Cloud.

Zack stared out the window for a few minutes, then turned to Cloud. "You do know the penalty for breaking rules, don't you?"

"There's a penalty?" asked Cloud in confusion.

"Well, yeah, you know, the usual lecture, a good ol' roughing up, and boring paper work. But it's nothing, if you're willing, Cloud…"

"Willing for what?" asked Cloud.

Zack looked left, right, then left again, and said quietly, "We could sneak out of Shinra tonight, go to Tifa's dinner party, and be back here by Friday morning. No one would know we're gone…"

"But isn't that a bit risky?"

"You want to go to this party that bad, right?" asked Zack. Cloud nodded. "All right, then, it's settled," said Zack happily clapping his hands. "We could go right now and be there by this evening, or leave tonight and get there by Thursday morning. What say you?"

"Which way is less risky?" asked Cloud.

"Hmm… I'd say the tonight option, but I'd rather get over there right now and spend a longer time with Tifa."

Cloud looked down, thinking about it for a few seconds. _I'd rather not get caught out in trouble, especially is Zack's involved… I don't want him to get in trouble too… But I do want to see Tifa again… We'll go right now! _Cloud looked up and nodded. "Yeah, let's go right now."

"Okay! Come with me," said Zack, leading Cloud away from the room. "We'll take Fenrir out and ride her to Midgar right now, during breakfast, while everyone's looking in the different direction."

"Ooh! Could I try riding Fenrir this time?" asked Cloud.

Zack hesitated. "Well…"

"Please?" begged Cloud. "Let me try!"

"Oh, all right," sighed Zack, though he smiled fondly at Cloud. "After all, I did make Fenrir for you. It's fair I should let you ride it now."

"Okay! Let's go!" together, the two hurried to Fenrir, who was parked outside of Shinra. "I've always wanted to ride this thing," said Cloud excitedly, looking back at Zack.

Zack climbed on and held on to Cloud for balance. "You know how to start it, right? Remember how I did it?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, it's a piece of cake!" he revved up the engine a little, and asked, "How fast can Fenrir really go?"

"Pretty fast. About 190 mph. Why?"

"Let's go that fast!" yelled Cloud. He revved the engine again and took off into the distance at 190 mph. "Yahoo! This is pretty fast!"

"Waaaaaahhhh!" wailed Zack, grabbing onto Cloud tighter. "Not so fast!"

"What are you talking about? This is fun!"

"Please slow down!" yowled Zack.

"Oh, okay," said Cloud, slowing down to about 80 mph. "But wow, this motorcycle is pretty fast!"

Zack panted slightly. "Too fast for my taste…"

Cloud read some passing signs. "I'd say we're nearly there."

"I'd say so too…"

"Yeah, I guess so," agreed Cloud. He squinted at a sign. "What does this 'yield' mean?"

"Stop… STOP!" yelled Zack suddenly.

Cloud brought Fenrir to a screeching halt. In the road before them, a huge truck drove by. "Wow, that's a big truck," he commented.

Zack sighed with relief. "I thought we were goners…"

"Well, now that the truck is gone…" Cloud revved Fenrir and took off.

"AAH! SLOW DOWN, PLEASE!" screamed Zack as the sped off onto the road towards Midgar.

Cloud sighed and slowed the motorcycle down to about 80 mph again. "Really, Zack, where's your sense of adventure?"

"It just ran for cover…" sighed Zack, sagging slightly onto Cloud.

"We're almost there," said Cloud reassuringly, looking ahead at Midgar.

Zack checked the review mirror, gasped, and looked towards the right. "Oh, my god!" he howled. "Break! Break!" But it was too late….

CRASH BOOM WHAM WHACK SLAM…

**Seven and a half hours later…**

"Oh, my god, they could've been killed! If you didn't show up in time, Aeris…!"

"I did all I could, but I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Man, that was one hell of an accident!"

Zack shook his head. _Ugh…what happened…? Am I dead…?_

"Oh, I think Zack's coming to!"

"Huh?" asked Zack, lifting his head slightly. "What happened to me? To Cloud?" he shot up. "Oh, my god…! An accident! This car crashed into us! Oh, dear, is Cloud all right! No one's dead, right!"

"Zack, calm down," said Aeris. "Cloud's fine, and so are you."

"But--But we toppled all over…! We're not dead!"

"No, you're not," said Aeris with a smile. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Nothing was too wrong," said Tifa. "Just a bit shaken, that's all. It wasn't a serious accident… Oh, just an explosion, the car's wheels becoming completely busted, and…"

"And what?"

"I'm sorry, but we couldn't save Fenrir," said Aeris sadly, indicating a broken handlebar and a flattened tire on the table..

"I could probably fix it," said Cid reassuringly.

"Oh, come on! It would take a genius!" wailed Zack.

Suddenly, Cid stood up straighter and fixed his goggles so they looked professional-like. "I could fix Fenrir for you," he said in a more serious voice.

"Are you sure!" asked Zack, looking around. "Where's Cloud!"

"He's in the other room," answered Cid, sounding more casual.. "Asleep, he was completely shaken too, even though he's just fine."

"Really…? We're just fine…thank goodness," sighed Zack, falling back onto the bed. "I should probably think twice before letting Cloud drive… Boy, does he love speed…!"

"If you're feeling better, I'll go check on Cloud," said Tifa, leaving the room.

"Yeah, me too," said Cid, following her.

Aeris watched him leave, and turned to Zack. "You must have come here in a hurry to get here so fast," she commented.

"Heh… We left earlier this morning," said Zack. "We wanted to go to Tifa's Thanksgiving dinner party. She's still holding it, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," answered Aeris. "And she even invited me to the party. I'm not a meat eater, but I'll eat what I can. I do love to eat."

"I know you do," said Zack, smiling at Aeris affectionately. "You know, I've missed you," he said, getting out of the bed.

"You always do, silly," said Aeris. "Now, you go check on your friend too, and I'll go check on the dinner."

"You mean you already started it?" asked Zack.

Aeris nodded. "Turkey takes a while to cook, you know."

"I didn't know you'd have the guts to go through with cooking a turkey," said Zack. "You love turkeys."

"I do love turkeys. Who ever said we were using a meat turkey in the oven?" asked Aeris with a wink.

Zack winked back. "Right," he agreed, walking to the room Cloud was in.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Tifa asked.

"Yes, Tifa, really, I'm fine," said Cloud. "I don't think that accident was too serious."

"Dude, Tifa, just calm down. You really do worry too much."

"I do not!" insisted Tifa.

Cloud sighed and got out of bed. "Well, now that we're here for the Thanksgiving dinner, what'll we eat first?"

"Wow, straight to the point, are we?" asked Tifa. "Fine, as long as your feeling better."

"Ah, Zack!" said Cloud suddenly, perking up at the sight of Zack. He ran over to Zack and asked, "Are you all right! I'm sorry, I should've paid more attention to the road!"

"You should have," agreed Zack, "but I'm just fine."

Tifa cleared her throat loudly. "As long as your feeling better," she said loudly and pointedly to Cloud, "we can go see what's cooking, and how you can help!"

Cloud laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Hah… I'm sorry, Tifa…"

"So you should be!" sniffed Tifa. "Come on!" she added more cheerfully, leading Cloud downstairs.

"She's a ferocious temper, that one," Cid said, nodding towards Tifa. "I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alleyway."

"Hmm-hmm," nodded Zack in agreement, and the two went downstairs to the warm bar. "Wow, it smells good in here!"

"Yeah, I agree!" said Cloud.

"If course it does!" said Tifa. "We've been up since six preparing everything. It'll all be fantastic! We're cooking a HUGE feast! And for a special treat, we're gonna have a barbeque!"

Cloud looked up suddenly. "Barbeque?" he repeated.

"That's right! A barbeque just for little ol' you!" said Tifa affectionately.

"Really?" asked Cloud, looking happy.

"Yep! A barbeque on Thanksgiving!"

"Yay!" cheered Cloud. "I love barbeques!"

"Isn't it kinda unusual to hold a barbeque in winter?" asked Cid in confusion.

"CAN IT, GOGGLES!" yelled Tifa, then smiled at Cloud. "You love barbeques, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do!" agreed Cloud enthusiastically.

Zack smiled. "He's so cute when he smiles."

Aeris poked her head out from the kitchen door. "Cid, I'm gonna need your help, you're the tallest one here."

"I am?" asked Cid. "Uh, sure I'll come and help you. What do you need help with?"

"I need you to reach the sugar for me. It's on the top cupboard, and I don't want to ruin my dress…"

"A gardener is afraid of getting her dress ruined," teased Zack.

"Taffeta, Zack," said Aeris.

"…taffeta, Aeris," said Zack in confusion.

"No, silly, the dress is taffeta! It wrinkles so easily," giggled Aeris.

Cid looked between the two, shrugged, and entered the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll get you that sugar."

"Thanks," said Aeris.

"What's the sugar for?" asked Cloud.

"For pie. Pumpkin pie," said Aeris. "I love pumpkin pie… I'm gong to get fat from eating too much," she said with a cheerful smile.

"So am I!" agreed Cloud. "I love eating, especially on a barbeque!"

"Why don't you go outside and get the grill ready?" suggested Tifa.

"Okay!" agreed Cloud, rushing out the door.

CRASH

"Ouchie…" muttered Cloud, rubbing his bum and looking up to see to whom he crashed into. "Gulp… Uh, hi Sephy."

Sephiroth stood in the doorway, glaring down at Cloud. "Who didn't invite me to a party?" he asked indignantly. "I had to fly all the way over, freezing my ass off! Is this how a friend treats another friend in Nibelheim? Do you KNOW what leather does when it freezes! It tightens up real bad! I was about to become as stiff as a frozen penguin!"

"A frozen…? Oh, never mind," muttered Cloud, standing up. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you about the party, Sephy."

"Oh, you forgot? Suuure, you remember to invite Zack, but you forget your other friend!"

"Oh, Sephy, I--"

"Not another word!" said Sephiroth warningly, raising a hand. "I forgive you."

"Oh, okay, Sephy," said Cloud.

Sephiroth sniffed the air. "Ooh, is that pumpkin pie I scent? I'm definitely staying here!"

"But aren't you afraid you'll get fat?" asked Tifa. "I mean, you look like one of those effeminate men who worry about things a woman worries about, like figures and hair and such."

"Well, then I happen to be one of those 'effeminate men' who never gain weight! _I_ don't get bulges!" he said loudly.

Both Cloud and Zack exchanged uneasy glances, looking at their waistlines. "I'm not pudgy," said Cloud quietly, poking at his belly.

"I'm not pudgy either," said Zack, poking his belly too.

"Anyway, when's dinner ready?" asked Sephiroth.

Tifa glared at Sephiroth indignantly. "Excuse me, but we're still cooking everything! It'll all be ready by tomorrow afternoon. THEN we can start Thanksgiving dinner. Now, I have to go check on the food." With a mock half-bow of her head, Tifa left to the kitchen, flipping a towel over her shoulder.

Sephiroth raised his eyebrows. "Wow, that's one sassy mink. Can you really handle her, Cloud?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I can," said Cloud, who was glancing at Zack with a smile.

Cid was shoved out of the kitchen by a sugar-covered Aeris. "A completely careless buffoon!" caterwauled Aeris. "How could you be so clumsy!"

"Look, Cid's sorry he sneezed and fell over!" said Cid. "He wasn't paying attention, and he acknowledges that. Can you accept Cid's apology?"

"Why is Cid referring to himself in the third person?" asked Aeris.

"What are you talking about?" asked Cid.

"My brand new taffeta dress!" hissed Aeris. "My taffeta dress! Do you have any idea how much gil this dress cost?"

"Uhm… Cid's sorry, he has no idea," laughed Cid.

"IT COST ME ABOUT 5,000,000 GIL! AND YOU RUINED IT BY DROWNING…IT…IN…SUGAR!"

"Wow, Cid said he was sorry!" said Cid, backing up a little.

"It makes you wonder how a meager gardener got her hands on such money. Probably been _digging around_ the city for _loose change_." Sephiroth sniggered at his own joke.

His joke didn't impress Aeris; on the contrary, it seemed to make her even more angry. "RAAAAAARRRRRR!" she roared enraged. Suddenly, Aeris had become a mini-demon! And everyone else in the room was chibis! Aeris-the-demon roared some more, crawling around the room.

"Ah!" squeaked Cid. "We're doomed! Cid's doomed!"

"Oh, god, Cid's gonna die!" squeaked Cloud in shock as Aeris-the-demon picked up Cid.

"This should be interesting," squeaked Sephiroth, pulling out a wineglass from nowhere.

"What's going on in here?" squeaked Tifa, looking into the room.

"Oh, don't worry, this'll wear off soon," squeaked Zack calmly. "Cid, just let Aeris eat you, it'll all be over soon."

"Oh, sure, just let Aeris eat Cid!" yelled Cid ironically. "Easy! Really easy! Like Cid always wanted to be eaten by a demon!"

Aeris-the-demon gave no signs of giving up; instead she tossed Cid into the air and ate him.

"AAH!" squealed Tifa and Cloud while Sephiroth and Zack looked on interestedly.

Aeris-the-demon chewed for a couple seconds, then made a retching sound. "Cough…cough…hack…spit!" Aeris-the-demon spat Cid out. And everything was back to normal.

Cid was on the ground, covered in spit. "Ugh… Oh, ooh!" he said in disgust. "Eew! Cid's been slimed!"

Aeris fixed her jacket and calmly walked back into the kitchen. "Come along, Tifa," she said, her voice calm and ethereal again.

"Uh--de--you--sure," stammered Tifa, following Aeris into the kitchen.

Cloud gaped blankly at the kitchen door. "And you knew this?" he asked Zack.

Zack half shrugged. "Well…yeah… You see, that's one of the magical abilities of the Cetra, according to Aeris. When they get really, really angry, they become little demons, and everyone nearby becomes chibis. Shocked me the first time too," he chuckled.

"Oh," said Cloud.

Sephiroth just laughed to himself in his seat, refilling his wineglass.

"By the way, Cid, why were you speaking in the third person?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Cid, taking out a packet of cigarettes.

"Just earlier, you were talking in the third person."

Cid stared weirdly at Zack. "Weirdo. I don't talk in the third person. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be outside smoking," he said, holding up the packet of cigarettes as he headed for the door.

Zack and Cloud exchanged glances. "Well…that was interesting," said Zack.

"Hmm-hmm," agreed Cloud, nodding.

"Well!" said Zack, clapping his hands. "Let's see if we can help the ladies with the preparations."

"Okay! I'll go get that grill set up and everything!" said Cloud excitedly, rushing out the door.

"AAAW!" squealed Zack, putting his hands to his cheeks. "He's soo cute when he's happy like that! Just like a Chocobo!"

"_Non!_ Spikey is WAY cuter then Cloud," argued Sephiroth. "Spikey gets excited like that when you mention blood."

Zack gave Sephiroth a shifty-eyed glare. "No one asked your opinion."

"No one except for me," answered Sephiroth coolly, drinking his wine.

"Eh, suit yourself," said Zack, walking into the kitchen. "I'm easy."

"Glad to hear it," answered Sephiroth sarcastically. "Wow, I can't wait for Thanksgiving dinner…"  
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**And I can't wait to get the next chapter typed up. What a surprise, I actually managed to find time to get typing and update today! Good news, eh? Let's hope it lasts! Onward!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **I guess this means luck's not with us…

**A/N: **Oh, shut up, it's advent 4th of July weekend, and I want to get as much done as I possibly can. -smiles at readers- Glad you're still here! Let's move on!

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Thanksgiving Dinner**  
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"It's ready!" announced Tifa, pulling the turkey from the oven. "Our second and final turkey is done!"

"Yay!" cheered Cloud, Zack, Aeris, Cid, and Sephiroth.

"Now all we need to do is set the table, put on some music, and enjoy the dinner!" said Tifa happily.

"And I'll go check the barbeque!" said Cloud, hurrying to th grill excitedly.

Sephiroth watched him run. "Huh," he scoffed. "Why does he like barbeques so much? They're nothing special."

"Maybe not to you, but to Cloud, they are," answered Cid. "Tifa told me about the first barbeque he ever had."

"It's a sad story," said Tifa warningly. "We'll tell it to you some other time! Now let's set the table!"

"Let me help," said Zack and Aeris together. They exchanged glances, chuckled to themselves, and hurried to the kitchen to gather dishes to set the table with.

"What can I do to help?" asked Cid.

"You can go help Cloud with the grill," answered Tifa.

"No, I'll go do it," said Sephiroth, heading for the door. He walked over to the grill and leaned against the bar, watching Cloud for a couple of seconds.

Cloud was cheerfully flipping some burgers on the grill, and looked up at Sephiroth. "Oh, hi Sephy!" he said. "You came to help me?"

"No, I came to watch you," answered Sephiroth. "Why do you like grilling so much?"

"Well, it was the only thing they'd invite me to," said Cloud, taking off the finished burgers and adding some more. "And oddly enough, it wasn't Tifa who first invited me to a barbeque, but those three kids who'd always bully me."

"That must have been a surprise to you," said Sephiroth.

"It was," agreed Cloud. "But they were very nice to me. And when Tifa came by to join the barbeque, she was happy to see me there. I think it was the first time I ever felt happy in my life!"

"I see…" said Sephiroth slowly, looking up at the night sky. "What kind of weather was this barbeque held?"

"Hmm… I think it was a snowy day…" said Cloud slowly. "Yeah, it was."

"Okay," said Sephiroth, waving his hand slightly.

Cloud was turning over some more burgers when a snowflake landed on his nose. "Awa!" he said in surprise, brushing it off. He blinked and looked around. "…!" he gasped, looking around. "It's snowing…! Sephy, look, snow's falling!"

"I see that," answered Sephiroth, crossing his arms.

"But…there aren't any clouds in the sky," said Cloud, looking up. "It's just snow falling…! It's amazing!"

"I guess," said Sephiroth.

"Wow!" Cloud ran from the grill to twirl about in the snow. "It's snowing! It's snowing!"

"Cloud, what are you doing…" Tifa tailed off when she saw the snow. "Oh…! How can it snow without clouds?"

"Who cares, as long as it snows!" said Cloud, twirling in the snow. "Snow, snow, snow! I love snow!"

Zack came to the doorway too. "Hey, look, this is pretty cool! But how can it snow without clouds…?" Zack looked over at Sephiroth, who was watching Cloud dance about in the snow. _…? How odd… I've known for a while that Sephiroth can alter the weather… But why would he do that for Cloud? Is he just trying to figure out his enemy, or is it something else I see in his eyes…?_

"Okay, Cloud, that's enough," said Tifa, checking the grill. "You should head back inside before you re-catch that flu again. Come on."

"But Tifa, it's beautiful outside!" protested Cloud.

"We can go outside later," promised Tifa. "But for now, let's warm up inside and eat, the tables all set up and everything. Now that all the food's ready, we can start the Thanksgiving dinner."

"But…oh, all right," sighed Cloud sadly, looking up at the snowy sky.

"Come on, silly!" called Zack, holding out a hand.

"I'm coming!" Cloud ran over to Zack and they both went back inside together.

Tifa sighed. "Thanks for the help, boys… Oh, you'll help me out, right Sephiroth?"

"My hands are full," answered Sephiroth, empty-handed.

"Now," said Tifa firmly, snatching Masamune away from Sephiroth.

"Right, right, I'll go get the plates," sighed Sephiroth, snatching Masamune back and grabbing the pile of plates.

"Oh, come on!" said Tifa, putting her arms akimbo. "You were supposed to grab some burgers!"

"Don't worry, let me help!" said Cid, looking at the two plates of barbequed hamburgers.

"Oh, thank you, Cid!" said Tifa, smiling gratefully. Then Cid took the lighter plate; she scowled and took the heavier plate, and brought it inside.

The table was set beautifully: there were six plates set up, with two steaming turkeys on the table, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, ice cream in vanilla and chocolate, a plate full of buttered rolls, some hot cross buns, a pineapple cake, two plates of barbequed hamburgers, cranberry sauce, barbeque chicken, a plate of small fruit-and-veggie appetizers, and all sorts of candy dishes. It was a dream-come-true dinner for anyone!

"Okay, everyone, before we dig in, let us all say one thing we are most thankful for this year, starting with you, Cloud." Tifa smiled at Cloud expectantly.

"I get to go first?" asked Cloud.

"He does?" asked Cid. "Why can't I go first?"

"Because… uh… Because!" said Tifa with a firm nod. "Let Cloud speak!"

"What I'm most thankful for this year…" said Cloud slowly, looking upward thoughtfully. "Let me see…" he thought about everyone in his life who made any kind of difference to him. "Yes, I'm thankful for everyone in this room!"

"You are?" asked Tifa. "Aaw, that's sweet of you!"

"Oh, even for me?" asked Cid, pretending to be bashful. "Oh, stop it, you'll make me blush!"

"We're best friends, I'm not surprised," smiled Zack.

"You're thankful for me? That makes me happy, thank you," said Aeris.

Sephiroth didn't answer; instead he crossed his arms and leaned in a little, as though inviting Cloud to say more.

"You all make a bright light in my life everyday," Cloud continued, smiling at everyone in the room. "I know I'll become stronger one day, because of all of you."

Tifa smiled. "So your thankful for all that… Okay. Aeris, what are you thankful for this year?"

"Me?" asked Aeris. "I'm thankful for many, many things. I thank the higher powers for the air I breath, the flowers I plant and grow, the people I love, and all of mother nature's creations, old and new. This planet continues to thrive each day for the love we all share and feel, and for that, I'm very thankful."

"Wow, that's a big list," remarked Cid. "You sure love a lot of things, don't you?"

"Yeah, she's a tree-hugger, all right!" said Zack cheerfully. "She always tells me that nature is the most important thing, and we should thank nature everyday!"

"All of these before us are the gifts of nature," replied Aeris calmly. "Without them, we'd all be cold and hungry. The Lifestream gives this planet a refreshing new breath of life, enabling us all to live."

"You put a lot of thought into this," remarked Sephiroth.

Aeris smiled secretively, and Cid asked, "Is this a Cetra thing?"

"It must be," said Tifa. "I guess your right, Aeris. What about you, Cid? What are you most thankful for?"

"Who, me?" asked Cid. "Let me think…" he muttered, putting hand to his chin. "Hmm… I thank god everyday for whoever invented cigarettes."

Everyone stared at Cid. "…"

"Oh, and I'm thankful for food, drinks, and beer! Definitely beer!" Cid nodded happily. "Things that make me happy, basically, I thankful for."

"…right…" said Tifa.

"I guess that makes sense," said Cloud slowly.

"You should be thankful for things that make you happy," said Aeris looking half-uncertain, half-agreeing.

"You kept yours short and sweet," said Zack.

"I know," said Cid happily.

"Better then a long and boring list," said Sephiroth.

"What about you?" asked Tifa. "You're next. What are you most thankful for, Sephiroth?"

"Me? Thankful for something?" Sephiroth thought about it for a few seconds, then shrugged indifferently. "Hmm, nothing comes to mind."

"Really?" asked Cloud.

"Surely you're thankful for something," said Zack.

"Nope, nothing in my noggin," answered Sephiroth in a slight singsong.

"Now that's not acceptable," said Tifa. "Come on, lie if you have to. No one eats until they say they're thankful for something."

"Fine, if I must," sighed Sephiroth. "I'm thankful for Masamune and Spikey. Better?"

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Fine, better." she turned to Zack. "And you, Zack? What are you thankful for this year?"

"I'm thankful for everything!" said Zack cheerfully. "For Aeris, because she's the love of my life; for Cloud, because he is like a new happiness to me; Tifa, because she's very spirited yet kind; for Sephiroth because he's beginning to have a heart now; and Cid because…" Zack glanced at Cid, who was apparently shaking hands with a turkey leg (he hurriedly dropped it) "…because you're you." he said, making an encouraging fist.

"Thanks, Zack," said Cloud, blushing slightly.

"Oh, I love you too, Zack," said Aeris.

"Because I'm me," said Cid proudly. "Yeah!"

"A heart?" asked Sephiroth. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just saying a hopeful little remark that you'll take your mind off blood and killing and savor the finer things in life."

"Hmph," scoffed Sephiroth. "As if."

"Come on, now, don't fight," said Tifa. "Right… Well, what I'm most thankful for is… well, everyone! Everything!" Tifa pointed at everyone in the room in turn. "It's people like yo that make life worth living! I kid you not!"

"Tifa, that's so nice," said Cloud.

"Hmm! And all of you are the spices that make the variety of my life, so far! I can't wait to meet other people like you one day, so that they may add to that variety. I love you all!"

"So does this mean we can eat now?" asked Cloud.

"It sure does!" answered Tifa.

Everyone clapped their hands together and announced together, "Itadakimasu!" Everyone filled up their plates to the rim with good food, everyone taking second and third helpings of everything. With great music in the background, and a warm snowy view of Midgar from the window, it was a pleasant thanksgiving dinner. A few hours later, everyone had their bellies full and were ready for a long nap.

"Yum! That was good!" said Cid. "I'm ready for a long nap!"

"Me too!" agreed Tifa.

"Me three," said Aeris.

"I ate so much, I'm so happy now!" said Cloud happily.

Sephiroth wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'll admit it, I certainly enjoyed tonight's Thanksgiving dinner. I'm gonna take a long nap too."

"I guess we'll go back to Shinra tomorrow," said Zack. "I'm tired too."

So everyone shuffled to their rooms, Tifa, Cid, and Aeris sharing one room, and Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth in another.

Cloud rolled over in his bed. _Man, I really do eat too much sometimes,_ he thought with a bunny smile. _I'm glad I could share today with Zack… one day, I'll get him to like me…and then, I'll be really thankful and happy too…_

BZZT BZZT BZZT

The sound of an alarm clock ringing loudly suddenly jolted cloud awake. "Awa!" he cried, flopping around the covers to grab the alarm clock. He sat up and turned it off, looking around sleepily. "…huh?" he asked.

He wasn't at the 7th Heaven Bar anymore; he was in someone else's bedroom. And someone was calling his name.  
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**Ooh! What'll happen next? I'll let you in on a little secret: next chapter is NOT going to be an attempt at humor. Trust me, I'm not good at humor.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **This anime spoof was selected at random. Cloud had a strange dream, and this is what he dreamed. Enjoy.

**A/N: **Hey, that's my line! …bah, whatever. Let's carry on, and remember what I said last chapter: this is NOT supposed to be a parody-parody. This is Cloud's dream because he ate too much. Don't flame me because I can't make a good parody because I'm NOT trying to make a good parody, okay? Good. Why did I make an account on the weird dream Cloud had? …BECAUSE I CAN! MWAHAHAHAHHAHAAA! -ahem- let's carry on.

Oh, BTW, ShadeZero, you think my humor is good? Yo wuz up, you too? Aaw… Really? That's so nice of you to say so! Let's carry on!

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cardcaptor Cloud-Cloud and the Final Judgment**  
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"Cloud! Come on down, breakfast is ready!"

_Who's voice is that…?_ thought Cloud to himself, looking around. _Where am I?_

"Uh, sure!" called Cloud, getting out of bed. He looked around the room he was in again.

It looked like a room that would belong to a Japanese schoolgirl: it had a cute bed in the corner; a desk with drawers and a lamp on it with a roll-around chair; a smaller table next to it that had a whole bunch of dolls on it; a 24 inch TV in the corner of the room with a Nintendo game console with several scattered games near it; and a closet that was closed.

_I'm definitely not at the 7th Heaven Bar anymore…_ thought Cloud. _I must be dreaming… this can't be real…_he reached his left arm and gave it a hard pinch.

**_Flash: Kids were laughing at Cloud as he tried to escape the bees they sent after him…_**

Cloud winced. _Ow, damn, I pinched the stigma…_ he looked around hopefully. He was still inside the girlish room. _Ok… What happened to me…!_

The door opened, and Vincent stuck his head in. "Kaijuu, aren't you ready yet?" he asked teasingly. "Usually, we'd hear you thumping around like the kaijuu you are this early in the morning."

"Awa!" cried Cloud. "You're that Turk, aren't you! The one that spotted me in the closet when I hid from you Turks that one time!"

Vincent blinked. "What?"

"What are you doing to me!" demanded Cloud. "Why did you take me to a place like this!"

"Cloud, are you okay?" asked Vincent, looking slightly concerned. "Maybe you're not feeling well?"

"I'm feeling fine, my flu's all gone," said Cloud. "But that's not the point! Tell me what you plan on doing to me here!"

"Maybe you have a fever," said Vincent, walking over to Cloud and putting a hand on his forehead. "…no, you're temperature's normal…"

"Keep your hands to yourself!" snapped Cloud, pulling away from Vincent. "Don't touch me!"

Vincent blinked in confusion. "Are you sure you're feeling well, Cloud?"

"I'm fine!" insisted Cloud in exasperation. "Now will you tell me what's going on?"

"Hmm…" muttered Vincent suspiciously, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Fine. If you say so…" he turned and left the room, calling over his shoulder, "You'd better get going, dad says that you're in charge of making lunches today!"

"Huh? I don't know my dad," said Cloud. But Vincent was already gone; he didn't hear him. "What's going on…?"

A cell phone ringed somewhere.

"Awa!" said Cloud in surprise. He looked around, and saw a pink cell phone on the desk. He rushed over to it and answered, "Hello, this is Cloud."

"_Hey, Cloud, good morning!" _it was Zack on the other line. "_I had hoped you were awake. I called to tell you that Tifa will be coming with us to the archery match today. She says she wants to be there in case something happens."_

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Zack!" cried Cloud. "What are you talking about!"

"_…? The archery tournament? You know, the one Aeris was attending? I thought you'd be very excited to go see Aeris."_

"…I-- Zack, this is craziness!" he exclaimed. "Will you tell me what's going on? I fell asleep at the 7th Heaven Bar, and I woke up here, in a strange house, and that Turk came in here and called me a 'kaijuu'! What's a kaijuu?"

"_…Cloud, are you all right?_" asked Zack, his voice filled with concern. "_I understand that that dream you had was disturbing you lately…_"

"I don't get it, what dream? Look, Zack, don't you agree that something weird is going on!"

"_Are you sure you're okay? I'll come over right now if you want!"_

"I--you will?" asked Cloud. "You know where I am? Please come get me!"

"_I bet you and your brother argued this morning or something… Of course, Cloud, I'll come right away! Don't worry!"_

The line clicked, and Cloud hung up too. "I really don't get what's going on…"

A few minutes later, Zack arrived, and he and Cloud were walking down the road towards the train station. "Cloud, seriously, are you okay?" asked Zack worriedly. "I was really worried about the amount of distress in your voice…and now your telling me a story about something that sounds like it came out of a Final Fantasy game."

"No, no, Zack, it really happened!" insisted Cloud. "I'm…stuck in some sort of dream-like state. Nothing here is real, yet at the same time, it is… I'm very confused right now…"

They got on the train and stood by the door, waiting for Tifa to arrive.

"Thanks for waiting!" called Tifa, waving and running over to them. "I was running a bit late!" she got on the train, and the train door closed and they took of towards the city. "We'll be there on time for Aeris's archery tournament, right?" asked Tifa.

"Yes, I'm sure we will," said Zack. "But I'm worried about Cloud. He's told me all about these worries…"

"Something's wrong with Cloud?" repeated Tifa, looking at Cloud. "What's the matter, Cloud?"

"Everything's the matter!" cried Cloud. "This place, where are we anyway!"

"How could you forget, we're in Tomoeda, Cloud."

"If it's that Tokyo Tower dream, Cloud, don't worry. I'm sure you'll be all right, no matter what happens," said Zack.

"Tokyo Tower?" asked Cloud, looking out the window towards a tall red tower. _I might as well go with the flow for now…_ thought Cloud. _Sooner or later, I'll discover what's going on…_

**_Flash: a close-up on someone's eye…_**

_**Flash: a red-haired lady ringing a bell…**_

Cloud blinked, and looked down at the floor. _This is a really strange happening right now…_ he thought, holding his left arm. _I wonder what will become of this…?_

**Thirty minutes later…**

The got off the train and walked into a shrine. "What place is this?" asked Cloud, looking around.

"This is the Tsukimine Shrine, Cloud," said Tifa, giving Cloud a sideways half-glare-half shifty-eyes. "You know, where ano onna is."

"That women?" asked Cloud. "You mean Aeris?"

"Yeah, the one you always go googly-eyed over."

"But I don't like Aeris," said Cloud, glancing at Zack in worry. "Really, I like someone else!"

"You don't have to be embarrassed," smiled Zack. "You make it pretty obvious the way you feel about her."

"But I-- She's too old for me!" wailed Cloud. "She's got to be at least five or six years older then me!"

"But…?" Zack trailed off, looking confused.

"I could never steal Aeris from you!" said Cloud, grabbing Zack's hands and leaning in a bit closer. "Seriously! Nothing would make me happier then to see you happy! Because I-- You're my best friend!"

Zack gaped at Cloud and turned his head slightly towards Tifa as though asking if this was normal for a Cardcaptor. Tifa sighed and said to Cloud, "Listen, Cloud, if something has happened to you, don't hesitate to tell us. We ARE your friend after all, and as equal candidates for Master of the Clow, we have to make sure we're both all right."

"Master of the what?" asked Cloud.

"The Clow… the Clow Cards? You know-" Tifa pulled out a random Clow Card "-the ones the great sorcerer Clow made a long time ago?" asked Tifa. "You have some, and I have some. But tonight should be the night we meet Yue the Judge. He'll decide who is the true Master for the Clow Cards."

"Huh…?" asked Cloud.

"If we stand here any longer, we'll miss Aeris's archery match," said Zack, checking his watch.

"We'd better hurry," agreed Tifa. "We'll discuss this more later, okay Cloud?"

"But I… Okay," said Cloud resignedly, following Tifa and Zack to the archery tournament at the Tsukimine Shrine. _From what Zack always told me, Aeris couldn't shoot an arrow if her life depended on it…_

There were several archers there, and among them was Aeris. "Miss Gainsborough sure looks calm about this tournament," remarked Zack calmly.

Cloud glanced at Zack in surprise. "Since when did you call Aeris 'Miss Gainsborough'!" he asked.

"…? She never said I could call her Aeris, it's only polite, after all…"

_This is a strange place…_ thought Cloud as he watched the tournament. He barely paid attention during any part of the tournament, and even after Aeris won the competition after the red-haired lady lost, he still was lost in his own thoughts.

It wasn't until the picnic was Cloud brought out of his reverie. "Cloud! Aren't you going to congratulate Gainsborough too?" asked Tifa loudly.

Cloud blinked and looked up. "Awa? Oh, y-yes, I'm sorry! You--You did a good job, Aeris!"

"I nearly lost on that last match," said Aeris modestly. "I'm sure if that red-haired lady hadn't lost, she'd probably win instead of me."

"You did a great job," added Zack politely.

Cloud looked between Aeris and Zack. _How odd… It's almost as if Zack never had any kind of feelings for Aeris at all…_ Cloud felt surprised to see himself smiling at that thought. _No, no, what a cruel thought…! I wouldn't want to earn Zack's love that way! _

After they all finished the picnic, they gathered their things and walked to the entrance way of the shrine. When Cloud crashed into a tall person in a bear suit… "Awaaaaa!" wailed Cloud in surprise as the tall person in the bear suit attacked Cloud.

"Oh, Cloud!" cried Zack in surprise.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing!" demanded Tifa.

The tall person in the bear suit stopped and took his head off to reveal Vincent. "Hello to you too," he said.

Cloud looked up. "Hey, it's that Turk again!"

"That's no way to talk about your big brother," said Aeris playfully. "What are you doing here, Vincent?"

"I work here part time," answered Vincent. "You know, for extra gil now and then…"

"I see. Did you see the archery tournament?" asked Cloud.

"No, I didn't, but I heard Aeris won." Vincent smiled at Aeris. "Good job, Aeris."

"Thank you, Vincent," said Aeris.

"Here you go, Cloud," said Vincent, handing Cloud a yellow balloon. He put the bear head back on and said, "I have to get back to my job now. See you all later, and be careful on your way home."

"Uhm…thanks, and thanks," said Cloud, looking at the balloon uncertainly.

After Vincent was out of sight, the red-haired lady came out of the shadows. "Before you go anywhere," she started, "someone has to be named the Master of the Clow. The Final Judgment will be held here tonight."

Tifa gasped out loud. "How did you know about that…?"

She didn't answer; instead she turned to Cloud. "Do you know where Yue is? I bet you don't…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Cloud. "I don't know who Yue is. What is he a judge of?"

"He is somewhere close to you," continued the red-haired lady, walking a few paces away and facing the group. "If you're going to come out, then do so now," she said.

Cloud looked back at Aeris. _Why is she staring at Aeris like that…? How can Aeris become Yue if this Yue is a he?_

The wind started to blow in the background, and Aeris fell to the ground. "…! Aeris!" cried Cloud.

"Miss Gainsborough!" added Zack fearfully.

"What did you do?" asked Tifa angrily at the red haired lady.

As suddenly as she fell, Aeris slowly was raised into the air, and slowly, pretty white wings flew from her back, covering her completely. A magic circle appeared under her, shining brightly, causing everyone to cover their eyes. _Ah! What's happening to Aeris…! What's going on…!_ thought Cloud desperately as he watched the wings slowly unveil…

"Yue, the Judge," announced the red haired lady.

"Yue…?" repeated Cloud, shielding his eyes in the bright light. _Yue looks like Sephy… This Yue has silver hair too… What's going on…?_

Yue opened his eyes and looked down at the group before him. "These are the Candidates for Master of the Clow?" he asked sardonically. "What choices for me to judge…"

"So _you_ are Yue…" said Tifa.

Yue approached Cloud and bended down to his eye level to meet Cloud's eyes directly. "It seems that you gathered a majority of the Clow Cards," he said softly.

"Aeris…?" asked Cloud, feeling as thought Aeris was in there somewhere.

"…however, some of the cards did go to someone else…" he said, straightening a little to glance at Tifa.

Tifa gasped, then growled and made a stance.

"Huh," scoffed Yue. "This should be interesting."

He and Tifa vanished suddenly. "…!" gasped Cloud, looking around. "Tifa…! Tifa, where did you go!"

"There, on the roof!" cried Zack, pointing upward.

Cloud looked up. "…! Tifa!" he cried, seeing that Tifa was getting whupped by Yue. He ran towards the shrine, but a barrier cut him away from Tifa. "No! Tifa! Tifa!" he pounded the barrier. "Why won't it let me in!" he demanded.

"You're not allowed to get help during the Final Judgment," said the red-haired lady. "If you do get help, then you lose."

"But that's not fair…!" gasped Cloud, looking up at the fighting. _This is craziness…! What kind of place is this! I can't just wait here while Tifa's getting beat up…! _Cloud didn't have to wait long for Tifa to show up; there was a loud scream from within the barrier. "Tifa!"

Tifa appeared and fell to the ground. "Ugh…Ow…" she muttered, staggering up. "Be--be careful," she said, straightening herself. "He's…strong…"

"Now, for the official candidate," said Yue as though nothing happened. He vanished to the Tokyo Tower while Cloud vanished to a building a few miles away from the tower.

"Huh?" asked Cloud, looked around. "Whoa, where am I?"

"You have to defeat me with the Clow Cards in your possession," said Yue. "If you can, then I'll name you the Master of the Clow. If you don't win, however… A catastrophe will befall this world…"

"A catastrophe?" repeated Cloud. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you lose, you'll find out, won't you?" asked Yue delicately. "Come now, attack me."

"How can I do that!" demanded Cloud. "If Tifa couldn't defeat you, then whose to say that I can! I don't want to fight right now!"

Yue sighed. "You agreed to this long ago when you released the seal on the Clow book. You have to decide now… Defeat me or surrender the cards, it's your choice."

Cloud gasped. _I can't fight him now!_ he thought. _I don't know what these Clow Cards are, much less how to use them…! Oh, what should I do?_

Apparently Yue decided that Cloud was taking too long and his eyes glowed. He used his power to bring Cloud all th way up to the Tokyo Tower. "Now use the cards in your possessions and defeat me," said Yue.

Cloud shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to use them… I'm not sure how or why this crazy dream came to be, but… It's just a dream. I'll wake up soon!"

SMACK

"Awa!" yelled Cloud in surprise. Yue had just flung Cloud across the tower. "Ow, what was that for?" asked Cloud angrily, rubbing his cheek.

"If you choose not to fight, then I'll defeat you myself!" Yue summoned some blue-silvery crystal thingys and shot them at Cloud.

"!" gasped Cloud and hurriedly ran away from them. "Aah! Why are you trying to kill me!" he demanded after the crystals were gone.

"As the Judge, I have every right to try any means to defeat you," answered Yue. "Whatever it takes."

"…if you want a fight, I'll give you a fight!" said Cloud menacingly, pulling out his sword. "Fine, I accept your challenge!" Without waiting a response, Cloud let out a war cry and charged at a surprised Yue.

"You can't use that meager sword to defeat me," said Yue. "It's not powerful enough."

"Oh yeah? Try me!" Cloud pulled out swords number two and three, combined them and attacked Yue again. _Hah, this is only a dream!_ thought Cloud. _An odd dream, but a dream nonetheless. I _won't_ be defeated!_

As good ol' Cloud would have it, he didn't lose. After a long battle, Yue was finally brought to his knees, defeated "I--I lost….? But how?"

"Easy, I'm not as weak as you think," said Cloud. "Now somebody wake me up, this dream has seriously weird me out…"

"Sure, I guess," said Yue. "This isn't your world anyway."

"Yeah, I figured that much out," said Cloud. "What world is this, anyway?"

"This is the Cardcaptor Sakura world. You must have been led here by accident. You may go now," said Yue, standing up.

"…sure," said Cloud. Suddenly all went black around him…

**Cloud's waking world…**

"…!" gasped Cloud, sitting up. He looked around. "Whoa, that was a really weird dream…" he glanced at the wall clock, and saw that it was about 5:30 AM. "Jeez, I got up too early," thought Cloud, laying back down and falling asleep. _A really weird dream…_  
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Hahahahahhahaha… I can get soo bored to make a chapter like this… glad you're still here. Let's move on. Uh...later. And no, you won't see or hear from me in a while. This chapter was just luck, okay? I've been so busy, so I can't get online much... See you soon. I hope...  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…well, no comment, I guess…

**A/N: **No comment! We're an inch from chapter thirty! It's time to rejoice, it is!  
**Muses: **Whee!  
**Me: **-grins- Sweet, thirty is a REALLY big number! Let's move on!

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Rufus Shinra, the Vice President of Shinra Company**  
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"We'd better get going," said Zack after polishing off a plate of leftovers. "We've been gone for a long time."

"That's true," agreed Cloud.

Tifa sighed sadly. "If you must leave so soon…"

"I know, I wish we could stay longer, but we'd get in serious trouble," said Zack. "And with Sephiroth way ahead of us, we had better hurry."

"I'm sure we'll see you again soon for Christmas Dinner, right?" asked Aeris.

"We sure will! Bye!" called Cloud as he and Zack headed for the newly-fixed Fenrir. "Wow, Cid did a great job! I mean, to fix it all in one day!"

Cid laughed self-importantly to himself. "Like I said, it would have taken a genius. In other words, me."

"Fascinating," said Zack sarcastically. Cid scowled and left. "And Cloud, is it okay if I drive Fenrir this time? You go way too fast for my liking…"

"I do? But aren't motorcycles made for speed?" asked Cloud.

"When you're alone, Cloud. But for now…"

Cloud sighed. "All right, Zack. For you, I will."

Zack sighed with relief. "That's good…. Thanks, Cloud. Now hop on, or we'll be late!" Cloud nodded and hopped on behind Zack, and Zack sped off (slowly) towards the distance to Shinra Company.

**When they get back…**

"Hopefully, no-one noticed we were gone," said Zack as he and Cloud hurried inside to the cafeteria, where all the SOLDIERs were now having dinner.

"Yeah, hopefully," agreed Cloud, sitting down next to Zack.

One of Zack's friends spotted them. "Oh, hey, it's Zack!" he said excitedly.

The other SOLDIER looked back. "Oh, hi Zack!" he and the one SOLDIER hurried to them. "Where were you, we've been missing you all day!"

"Have you now?" asked Zack. "That's strange, we were here all day."

"You were?" asked the other SOLDIER. "Gee, that's strange, you must be really good at hiding!"

"We sure are," said Zack with a wink to Cloud.

Cloud smiled shyly and glanced down at the table as Zack's two friends announced what was for dinner.

**Meanwhile, in the shachoo's office…**

"_Shachoo, Vice President Rufus is back from his vacation,_" said his secretary over the phone. "_He says he has many things to discuss with you. Shall I send him up?"_

"Ah, he's back, is he?" asked shachoo. "Very well, let Rufus in. There is much we need to catch up on."

"_Yes, sir."_

A few minutes later, the Vice President of Shinra Company, Rufus Shinra, entered the room. "I've been gone for a while, and I hear that many things have been going on ever since I was gone," started Rufus.

"Yes, Rufus, a lot can happen in a few months. Sit down, for we have much to discuss and decide."

"Including the RANDOM program I sent?" asked Rufus.

Shachoo sighed. "Yes, Rufus, even that program."

"It's been a success, right?"

"It has. So has the BERSERK program."

"That program is one you developed yourself, isn't it, shachoo?" asked Rufus. "Who were these programs tested on?"

"They both were tested on the same SOLDIER. A new member, although he's already been promoted to first class," answered shachoo.

"And his name?"

"Cloud Strife. You've heard of him, I believe?"

"Oh, yes, that blonde haired SOLDIER, the one with a Jenova cell inside him, even before he came to Shinra. Let me know all about him."

So shachoo went into a pretty long story about Cloud, and his many battles with Sephiroth, the tests, his being promoted to first class and so on. "That's pretty much his history here at Shinra."

"You promoted him just because he defeated Sephiroth twice?" asked Rufus. "Is that really a good reason to promote anyone?" Rufus sighed. "I always said that you should be more assertive, you know? Lead with an iron fist!"

"Again, this is where you and I differ," said shachoo. "The second we become corrupted, the whole world will turn against us. Is that what you want?"

"No, but I--"

"Until you become president, these decisions are mine," interrupted shachoo curtly. "Until then, respect mine."

"But I think I know a way to use the power of the Lifestream!" interjected Rufus.

Shachoo looked up in shock; it was pretty clear that Rufus was just bursting to say this. "You what…? The Lifestream?"

"Yes, I know a way, if I can get the right tools."

"But to use the power of the Lifestream…" said shachoo slowly. "Hmm… Maybe… But we already have a good energy source now. Why would we need to use a new one?"

"You don't like the idea?"

"No, I like it, I just don't see it happening."

"But if we just tried, we might--"

Shachoo stood up. "I will say this one last time, Rufus. While _I'm_ the shachoo of Shinra Company, it's _my_ decisions that will be considered. While _you_ are still vice president, your ideas are but mere comments and everyday speech. That is my final word."

Rufus stood up too. "…very well," he said after a few minutes. "I understand."

"…? Just like that?" asked shachoo in mild surprise.

"Of course… Father," said Rufus with a smile. "You're right, I should be more patient."

"…then we are agreed," said shachoo, sitting back down. "You may be dismissed. The Turks will be waiting for some work to do. Go see them."

"All right then," said Rufus. "See you later," he said with a wave of his hand. He walked out of the room, closed the door, and smirked evilly to himself. _Very well indeed… If that is how you want then, then I shall become the new shachoo of Shinra company… And turn this pathetic company into a grand powerful company that no-one will ever underestimate…_ he looked down the stairs where many SOLDIERs were leaving the cafeteria, and he could easily spot a blonde-haired SOLDIER among the ranks. _Huh… This should be really interesting,_ thought Rufus, evil thoughts going through his mind as went down the stairs towards the Turks research labs.

**Meanwhile, with Cloud and Zack…**

Zack looked up the stairs and blinked in surprise. _Oh! Rufus Shinra is back…_

Cloud followed Zack's gaze. "Zack, who's that?"

"Hm? Oh, that's the Vice President, Rufus Shinra."

"Rufus?" repeated Cloud. "That name sounds familiar…"

"It should, he's the one who developed the RANDOMs," reminded Zack, glancing down at Cloud. "Surely you haven't forgotten?"

Cloud's eyes fell to the ground. "…I--I've been forgetting many things lately… I never told you, but ever since you deleted my program, I've been forgetting some, or many, things…"

"Oh, that's right," said Zack. "Oh, gee, I'm sorry, Cloud…"

"But that's all right!" said Cloud hurriedly, looking up at Zack with a smile. "After all, I remember it again later! You don't have to worry if I'm a bit forgetful from time to time, it just happens sometimes!"

"Hmm…" said Zack. "If you say so. Now let's go get some rest, we have a big day tomorrow."

"We do?"

"Yep, tomorrow's Saturday, so we have all day to practice flying! We can finally perfect your ability to fly!"

"Really?" asked Cloud excitedly. "Oh, I can't wait!"

"Yeah, it's very exciting, isn't it? Come on, I'll even tuck you in tonight," said Zack, leading Cloud to his room.

However, Rufus stopped and looked up at them. _Practice flying?_ he repeated to himself. _Whatever does that mean? SOLDIERs aren't allowed to have wings…_ A light clicked in Rufus's head. He smiled and continued on his way to the Turks HQ, evil thoughts running through his mind.  
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Wow, what a short chapter… But what else can I say about Rufus? Gee, I was just introducing him. -ahem- I'll see you in a bit! **


	31. Chapter 31

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Now I can comment. We have reached CHAPTER THIRTY! Now thirty is a REALLY big number! Congrats, Fairy Red!

**A/N: **And congrats to you too, Disclaimer! And to you Muses!  
**Muses: **Aaw, it was nothing, really!  
**Me: **And you reviewers, all of you, congrats to you too! Without you all, I would have never made it this far! Give yourselves a big round of applause! You deserve it!  
**Readers: **-give themselves a big round of applause-  
**Me: **-grins happily- Now that that's settled, let's get down to chapter thirty! Lets-a go!

**Chapter Thirty: An Evil Plot and a Bad Man's Thoughts**  
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It was early on a Saturday morning, like almost 5:00 AM. But Cloud and Zack were up and about nonetheless.

Cloud yawned loudly. "Zack, why did you get me up at 5:00 AM?" he asked groggily.

"Because everyone's asleep this early on a Saturday, so we can practice flying anywhere we want!" said Zack cheerfully.

"But I'm tired too," said Cloud, stifling another yawn. "Why can't we just go back to sleep and practice flying later?"

"It's good for your health, waking up early," said Zack, crossing his arms. "It's not good to stay up all night and sleep all day, even for a SOLDIER."

"You got as much sleep as I did, and yet your still full of energy," said Cloud, giving up and yawning loudly again. "How do you do that?"

"I eat a heartfelt breakfast everyday," said Zack with a proud nod. "And I do all that I can to make sure I get exactly 8 hours of sleep every night."

"Wow, you do all that?" asked Cloud, rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, and you should be doing that too," said Zack. "Anyway, come on, sleepyhead," said Zack leading Cloud towards the cliffs.

"And what are we up to this morning?" asked a voice behind the two of them.

"…!" went Cloud and Zack, whirling around to see Sephiroth standing there.

"Oh, Sephiroth!" said Zack after a couple seconds. "Uhm, good morning!"

"Good morning!" added Cloud.

"How can anyone call it a good morning with all the racket you're making?" asked Sephiroth, who indeed looked pretty tired. "I was just jerked out of a good sleep with the two of you 'sneaking out' of Shinra early on a Saturday morning. May I inquire to the occasion?"

"Uh…" stalled Zack, exchanging glances with Cloud.

"We were going to watch the sunrise!" said Cloud hurriedly.

"We--? Oh, yes, we were!" said Zack.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "I doubt you'd see much of a sunrise in these cold, gray, unfeeling winter clouds, now is there?"

"The clouds might part," said Zack hopefully. "The weather forecast says it'll be sunny and warm today!"

"Did it now?" asked Sephiroth in mock surprise. "Gee, then that must mean that the weather report that I received from my trusty little radio network was wrong!"

"Exactly!" said Zack.

"Exactly!" echoed Cloud.

As if answering some unheard prayer, the gray, cold, unfeeling winter clouds began to part in the east, and the first rays of sun light reached across the mountains.

"Hah ha!" said Zack, "See, what did I--"

**KABOOM! THUNDER, A BIG CLASH OF LIGHTING**

All three looked up. "…well, what do you know," said Sephiroth. "We both were wrong. A thunderstorm during winter…"

"Yeah, what were the odds?" asked Zack, looking up.

"Well, could be worse," said Cloud with a shrug.

"Oh, yeah? How?" asked Zack.

"Could be raining," said Cloud with a smile.

**clash of lightning again, downpour starts**

Zack and Sephiroth exchanged glances and looked down at Cloud, who was blinking up at the rain and smiling cutely.

"…screw this, I'm going back inside," said Sephiroth, turning heel and walking back to Shinra.

When he was out of earshot, Zack leaned closer to Cloud and asked in undertone, "Still wanna go through those flying lessons?"

"…maybe later," said Cloud in undertone back.

Both stood in the rain for a couple seconds, and walked back to Shinra to continue those flying lessons later.

**A few hours later…**

Cloud sighed dejectedly, staring out the window. "It's still raining," he announced to Zack.

"Oh, really?" asked Zack. "What a shame, I guess that means the snows gonna melt early this year. How sad…"

"Yeah, it is," agreed Cloud.

**Meanwhile…**

"Rufus Shinra came back yesterday," announced Tseng to his Turks as he walked in the HQ. "With both the shachoo and vice president looking down out backs, we have to work twice as hard to try and get this research done," finished Tseng, reaching his desk. He turned around. "Are you ready?"

Elena was slumped on the couch, sleeping soundly; Reno had taken over the recliner, and was using his jacket as a blanket; Rude was snoring slightly loud, resting on the other sofa; and Vincent was on the other seat, a book open on his face, saying that he must have fell asleep reading.

Tseng sighed. "Come on, I don't work you all _that_ hard, do I?"

The door opened and Rufus stuck his head in. "Ah, I see these are our proud -beeps- of Shinra. Good job, Tseng."

"This isn't my fault," said Tseng with an irritable gesture to the snoozing Turks.

"So you have no control over them whatsoever, and they themselves decide when to take days off or not?" asked Rufus.

"I would've hired others, but shachoo specifically ordered these four to work under me. I certainly didn't want such lazy bums working research for me."

"Of course you didn't," said Rufus.

"But I know the magic words to wake them up," said Tseng, turning to the group. He cleared his throat and said in a perfect imitation of shachoo's voice, "Well, Tseng, maybe you should tell your Turks that for every second they snooze on the job, they lose 500 gil off of their paycheck!"

"WHAAAAAA?" went all the Turks at once, standing up in their glory. "We weren't snoozing on the job, shachoo sir!" they said in unison.

Tseng made a "see?" gesture, and Rufus sighed and said, "I've been hearing many rumors amongst the Turks that this research on Jenova's problems started a little bit before a certain Mr. Cloud Strife came to join Shinra."

"That's what our research tells us," said Vincent, still standing in his glory.

"Is it true?" asked Rufus. "Does Strife have something to do with it?"

"We're not sure," said Elena. "That's what we've been trying to figure out."

"Hmm… I see…" said Rufus quietly. "Anyway, while you're at it, do make a sweep on all of the SOLDIERs. Word has reached me that a SOLDIER here is using an illegal program to grow wings and fly. I'd keep an eye open for that."

"Yes, sir," said the Turks simultaneously.

"Good. You have your orders. I'll see you again," said Rufus, leaving the room.

After the door closed, Tseng glared at all his Turks. "Well, that was nice of all of you! Trying to get me fired?"

"No, sir!" went all the Turks.

"From now on, we're working twice as hard!" said Tseng firmly. "As I have said earlier, we'll _have_ to work much harder now that both the shachoo AND vice president are under the roof. Let's go!"

"Yes, sir," said all the Turks, and they followed Tseng to the research room.

**With Rufus…**

Rufus walked back to his office, more evil thoughts filling his mind. _Of course…_ he thought to himself. _It'll be very easy to pull off…It'll be just timing it all… _Rufus felt a few strands of his hair, when a light clicked in his head. _…I'll just see him in person,_ decided Rufus with an evil smile. _In fact, why don't I see him right now…? The sooner, the better…_

**With Cloud and Zack…**

Cloud sighed boredly, leaning his head against the windowsill. The rain had slowly turned into a mix of snow and hail. And seeing s he was sensitive to cold, he had to stay inside. Zack had offered to take care of Kumo and Fuzzy and was now at the Chocobo Garden. "The snow looks soo pretty…" he said to himself. "I want to go and play in the snow… Even if it's just for five minutes…"

The hail was slowing down, and beautiful snowflakes began to fall down. There was a slight breeze in the air, so it appeared that the snowflakes were dancing and twirling in the wind. The scene couldn't have been more inviting.

"…I want to go outside…" sighed Cloud. He stood up, when his mind returned to when he had a terrible flu. "Do I really want that terrible flu again?" asked Cloud. He thought about it for a few minutes. Terrible flu, bad. Zack taking care of him, good. Cloud blushed and shook his head. "No, no, I can't do that…" he looked out the window again.

The hail had completely stopped, and the gentle breeze had turned into a flurry of a snowstorm.

Cloud sighed dejectedly. "Never mind…" he sat back down and stared out the window. _Zack should be back in a few minutes…_

Indeed he was; no sooner had Cloud thought that Zack came into the room. "Phew, it's really cold outside," he remarked cheerfully. He took off his jacket, scarf, mittens, and snow boots, and came over to Cloud. "Still sitting here, lazy?" he asked playfully.

Cloud smiled up at him. "I'd go outside, but I might catch a cold or flu again, and I don't want to worry you too much."

"Oh, we could go outside," said Zack. "It just now occurred to me that you can wear a warm coat, boots, mittens, you'll be fine."

"Really?" asked Cloud. Something exciting was about to happen! "Let's do that!"

"Sure, if you don't mind sharing the scarf," said Zack sheepishly, indicating the long, woolly red scarf he left on the table.

Something even more exciting! "Su-Sure, I don't mind!" said Cloud, reddening slightly.

"All right, wait here!" said Zack. "We can continue those flying lessons outside! We need to practice in weather such as this anyway."

"Okay! I'll meet you at the doors?" asked Cloud.

"You do that then!" said Zack. "I'll go get the coats and stuff."

Cloud nodded and left the room, heading for the stairs as Zack headed for his room. Cloud was waited by the door, leaning against the wall. Sephiroth happened to be walking by and spotted Cloud. "What are you doing standing by the door?" he asked curiously.

"I'm waiting for Zack to show up, Sephy," answered Cloud. "He says I can go outside as long as I'm bundled up warmly."

"I see…" Sephiroth looked up the stairs. "…well, whatever suits you," he said. "It's too cold for my tastes…"

"But you came from here all the way to Midgar that Wednesday, remember?"

"I know, but I didn't enjoy it," said Sephiroth, making a face.

"Maybe you shouldn't wear leather during winter," suggested Cloud. Sephiroth glared at Cloud and stalked away. "…? What? What did I say?" he asked, watching Sephiroth go back to his room.

Zack came down the stairs, looking back at Sephiroth's room. "What did he say?" asked Zack curiously. "He seemed pretty angry."

"I don't think I said anything to make him angry," said Cloud, scratching his head. "I mean, he was telling me that he didn't like going outside during winter because it's cold. I figured that wearing leather made things difficult, so I suggested that he should wear something else during winter."

"Oh, well, you see, Sephiroth was never one to take advice from people," said Zack, looking slightly amused. "Remember what I once told you during your first days here? Sephiroth is used to being revered and feared at the same time. You can't be either if you give him advice."

"Oh… Well, let's go," said Cloud.

Zack nodded, but followed slowly. _What I shouldn't mention is that Sephiroth would take advice from no one… except himself… And he and you are the only ones who don't know about what Hojo did…_

Cloud buttoned the last buttons of the coat. "Well, it is warmer now," he said. _Now how about that scarf, eh?_ thought Cloud to himself happily.

"Yep, we'll walk around to that area that had rivers and stuff," said Zack pulling out the scarf. "Your wings are nearing perfection," said Zack, leaning down slightly so he and Cloud could both comfortably share the scarf.

"I know, it's great," said Cloud. "By the way, where did you want me to take you when I can fly perfectly?" asked Cloud curiously.

Zack smiled, and looked upward. "Aeris once mentioned a place the Cetra all go sometime. She called it 'the promised land'. She wouldn't tell me in detail, so I looked it up. Apparently, 'the promised land' is a vast paradise kingdom somewhere in the skies. I'm not sure if the 'promised land' Aeris told me about and the one in the skies is the same one, but… I want to see it."

"Zack…" said Cloud quietly, feeling a mix of sadness that it was something Aeris mentioned to being happy that Zack wanted to see it together with Cloud.

"Sadly, Aeris told me that she can't take me there, that no one but the Cetra can get there…until it's time." Zack closed his eyes in the winter breeze. "But now that I have you with me, Cloud, I can see the promised land. Aeris doesn't have to hold the burden of knowing and hiding it alone anymore…"

Cloud looked upward at the mid-afternoon sky. _A…promised land…A kingdom paradise… I wonder if something like that really exists…_ Cloud smiled. "Zack, I promise that once I can fly perfectly, we'll find the promised land together. I'll help you realize your dream, Zack."

Zack opened his eyes and smiled down at Cloud. "I…knew you'd say that," he said slowly. "Oh, Cloud, you're the bestest best friend ever!" he cried happily, giving Cloud a huge hug. "I could ask for nothing more from my little gift!"

Cloud gasped in surprise, and (blushing a little) returned the hug. "Of course, Zack… Thank you…"

Off in the distance, however, the man with a heart colder then ice and crueler then winter watched. _I see… so that's how it works… I'll be the shachoo yet,_ thought Rufus to himself. _Once the current shachoo is…dead._  
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**Ooh! Rufus has true evil in his heart! What could he possibly be planning? Find out in chapters to come! See you in a little bit, and don't forget to review.  
Mario: **They won't forget, Fairy Red, they ALWAYS review.  
**Zelda: **Sometimes I think you worry too much.  
…**well, it's just a friendly reminder. What IF they forget to review? You never know, right?  
Muses: **…right. Whatever. -leaves-  
…**You won't forget to review, right? Of course you'll review:3 See you!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **They never forget to review. The Muses are right, you worry too much.

**A/N: **…whatever. Let's carry on! Whee!

**Chapter Thirty-One: The Promised Land**  
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It was a week into December, and this week was the last week of training for a while. "All right all of you, as you well know, December through March are when we practice martial arts!" barked Bruce as he walked among the SOLDIERs. "Today, we'll practice the usual fist-fight techniques."

"Martial arts?" repeated Cloud to himself. He sighed dejectedly. _I was never very good at physical fighting…_

"All of you pair up and practice fist fighting for five minutes. Let's see if you have what it takes to train for these arts!"

Zack tapped Cloud's shoulder and nodded towards the back of the room. "We'll practice here," he said.

"Okay," said Cloud.

"Hey, what about us?" asked one SOLDIER.

"Yeah, you said you'd take us training today!" whined the other SOLDIER.

Zack rolled his eyes and told them, "I said that for swords and weapons, not for physical combat. Train yourselves."

They exchanged glances and nodded. "Okay!" they said cheerfully.

"Sorry about that," laughed Zack as he and Cloud walked to the back of the room. "Anyway, do you know how to use physical combat?"

Cloud hesitated. "Well…no, not really… You see, back where I come from, there was really no need to be fighting."

"Unless you're a bully," said Zack.

"….yeah."

"Tifa told me that she sometimes fight people," said Zack.

Cloud shrugged. "Sure, she does sometimes. Usually, though, the only time I ever saw her beat someone up was when she actually got those three bullies to stop bullying me. It was kinda scary."

"Well, you're in SOLDIER now!" barked Bruce, who had suddenly appeared behind the two of them. "Just so you know, there won't be any girls around to protect you! You have to learn to defend yourself!"

Cloud rubbed his ears. "Ouchie, you didn't have to shout…"

"We know, Bruce," said Zack with a nervous smile. "I was just asking him if he had any experience fighting people, and this little conversation started."

"You'd better finish it then!" barked Bruce, and he walked off to observe the other SOLDIERs.

"Very well, let's begin," sighed Zack, turning towards Cloud. "Just for curiosity's sake, how hard do you think you can hit?"

"Not very hard," admitted Cloud, looking at his arms. "These are beginning to look toned, but it's not good enough yet, is it?"

"No, it's not," agreed Zack, flexing his well-muscled arm. "You gotta have somma these."

"Whoa!"

Zack chuckled to himself. "One day, you'll be like that too. Now…" he smacked his chest. "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

Cloud made a "huh?" face and asked, "What?"

"Hit me, with your fist, right here," said Zack, smacking his chest again. "Let's see what you're made of!"

"…" Cloud looked back and forth. "All right then…"

SMACK

"Ouchie!" yelped Cloud, shaking his hand. "Ow, what do you wear under that, lead armor or something?"

Zack looked down at his chest. "Nope, it's all pectorals."

"…you're kidding…"

"No joke," smiled Zack. "Come on, try again."

"Okay…" sighed Cloud.

BAM

"Owie…" whined Cloud, rubbing his fist. "That hurt…"

"We definitely need to work on that one," said Zack. "Here, let me show you how it's done!"

PUNCH

"Ow…" Cloud sat up, rubbing his shirt. "Wow, you punch good…"

"I know," said Zack with a grin, holding out his hand. "Here, let me pull you up, and try again."

"When will we need to know martial arts?" asked Cloud.

"When will we need to know swords and guns?" asked Zack. "Come on, enough talk. Throw it at me!"

WHAM

"Like that?" asked Cloud.

Zack rubbed his shirt. "Oof… Yeah, like that." He stood up and brushed himself off. "You can hit pretty hard. Let me see it again!"

"…sure," said Cloud slowly.

BANG WHAP

"Owie…" muttered Cloud, rubbing his cheek.

"That's very good, Cloud, but you weren't prepared for the counterstrike. You always have to stay on your guard!"

"I'll try to remember that one," said Cloud, standing up.

"Otherwise… Someone's gonna do this to you!" Zack grabbed Cloud by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "See, you weren't on your guard!"

"Awa! Put me down!" yowled Cloud.

"Next time, be prepared," said Zack with a smile, setting Cloud down onto the ground again.

"I'll remember that," said Cloud with a sigh. _Wow, he just picked me up like that…_ he thought.

"Hola!" yelled Zack suddenly, tripping Cloud.

"Ow!" cried Cloud in surprise.

"Constant vigilance, Cloud," said Zack, looking down at Cloud. "Never stand around in Lala land during a battle, otherwise you'll wake up one day with your head gone!"

"Wake up with my…? Oh, never mind…" Cloud stood up. "Man, I think I have a few bruises," he said to himself.

"Yeah, that tends to happen," said Zack. "I got plenty of bruises on my first day of martial arts training."

"Oh… Are bruises a good thing?" asked Cloud curiously.

"For some. I guess it depends on who you are…"

"Oh…"

WHOOP

Zack had taken Cloud by the arm and toppled him over in a karate-style flip. "Hyah! Constant vigilance, Cloud!"

Cloud smiled apologetically. "Right, I keep forgetting…"

BUMP

Cloud had jumped up and punched Zack to the ground. "How's that?"

"Very good, Cloud," grunted Zack, getting to his feet. "You'll be a great fighter one day… Ooh…"

**A few hours later…**

"All right, training is done for today," barked Bruce. "The rest of the day is yours. Dismissed, all of you!"

The SOLDIERs all chattered amongst each other, shuffling out of the training hall to the cafeteria for lunch.

"Martial arts are much harder then I thought they'd be…" sighed Cloud as he sat down at a cafeteria table. "I feel so sore now…"

"Don't worry, buddy, you'll get used to it," said Zack. "Want me to go get lunch for us?"

"If you don't mind…"

"No, it's all right with me," said Zack cheerfully. "I'll get lunch for my friends, too. Wait here."

The one SOLDIER and the other SOLDIER took seats across from Cloud. "Lunch smells good today!" said one SOLDIER happily. He took a deep breath and stated, "It smells like chicken strips, French fries, salad, and barbeque sauce!"

"Yum!" said the other SOLDIER.

"…sounds okay, I guess…" said Cloud quietly to himself. _I never really liked chicken…_

Zack came back about a minute later with four steaming plates of lunch. "Fresh from the oven!" he said happily. "Eat up, y'all!" He sat down next to Cloud, and said quietly to him, "We'll be practicing more flying today. Is that all right?"

"It's fine, I can't wait," said Cloud quietly back, smiling to himself. As he sat and ate, he thought about the flying. _Gliding's okay, and I can do pretty much all of the lessons… But for flying by itself, I just can't gather enough speed…_

**_Flash: "What the hell are you doing on the swing sets!" demanded Tifa angrily one day while Cloud was sitting sadly on the swings. "Why don't you get off and give another kid a chance!"_**

Cloud gasped out loud. _That's--That's it!_

"Cloud, are you okay?" asked Zack. "What's wrong?"

"I just figured it out!" hissed Cloud excitedly to Zack.

"Figured what out?"

"I'll tell you when we get outside," said Cloud. He smiled to himself. _If I can find something to swing on, then maybe if we swing fast enough, it'll be fast enough for me to zoom forward and take flight! The perfect amount of thrust I need!_

After he and Zack had finished eating, Cloud hurried Zack outside. "Cloud, what is it? Is something wrong?" asked Zack with concern.

"No, nothings wrong… We need to find a swing set, Zack! Or something that resembles it! Anything that can act like a swing!"

Zack stood still for a second. "A swing set?" he asked slowly. "How has a swing set helped you figure it out?"

"No, it's not the swing! Listen to me theory," said Cloud eagerly. "The reason I haven't been able to fly very much was because I didn't have enough thrust to push me into the air! But if I can find something like a swing, if I'm pushed far and high enough, I should have enough thrust to take to the skies and fly!"

Zack listened intently. "Wow… Hey, I--I think you're right!" Zack looked around sadly. "But there aren't any swings around here…"

"Then we'll make one!" said Cloud. "There must be something we can use here to make a swing!"

"Maybe… Let's go search. I know where to get rope, so you go find a log or something."

"Okay!" said Cloud, heading into the woods.

**A half-hour later…**

Cloud sat on a tree stump outside the woods, waiting for Zack to come back. _I hope this works…_ thought Cloud, looking at the long and flat piece of wood he carved from a log. _That was a really useful thing to remember… I have to get off those swings, to give another kid a chance. Zack once said that he was a kid himself… It's amazing how these things turn out!_

Zack ran down the hill to Cloud, a rope coiled around his arm. "Okay! Let's build this swing!"

"Okay!" said Cloud excitedly. _Our dream is nearly coming true…! I can't wait to fly Zack to the skies…with me…_

After they set the makeshift swing up, Zack and Cloud backed up to examine the effect. "A true beauty," said Zack. "Now hop onto that swing so that I can give you thrust!"

Cloud nodded and hopped onto the swing, standing a bit unsteadily on the swing. "I hope I don't fall over… I'll do my best!"

"That's the spirit, Cloud!" said Zack. He grabbed the ropes, and stepped back to release the swing.

Cloud gasped in surprise, grabbing the rope for support. _This--This has to work! I can't get scare now!_ With a determined frown, Cloud released the rope and steadied himself on the swing. "A little bit more!"

"Are you sure?" asked Zack, giving the swing another shoving push. "You might fall off."

"I…won't fall…" said Cloud, half to himself. "I promised you that I'd fly you somewhere far away… I promised you I'd take you to the promised land! I will not fall!" The swing had reached it's highest point, and Cloud seized the opportunity at once; he leapt from the swing to the air, and took flight to the sky.

"…" went Zack watching Cloud soar high. "He did it… He actually did it…! Hey! Cloud, you're flying!"

"I--I am?" asked Cloud, looking around, staying in midair to observe everything around him. "…I did it…! We did it, Zack! I can fly now!"

"Then the program was a success!" said Zack happily. "Come on down here, let me give you a hug!"

"Ok-Okay!" stammered Cloud happily, zooming down to Zack.

Zack caught him in midair and spun him around. "We did it! We did it!" Both laughed, and Zack set Cloud down. "Thank you, Cloud!"

"But I have one more thing to do, remember?" asked Cloud, smiling up at Zack. "I'll fly you to the one place you always wanted to visit: the promised land!"

"Cloud, right now?" asked Zack. "It's okay with you?"

"It sure is! I want to fulfill my promise to you. Cloud jumped to the air and held out his arms. "Let me carry you!" Zack smiled too and held out his arms. Cloud picked Zack up and soared high to the skies. _This is like a dream come true…!_ thought Cloud ecstatically. _To fly to the sky with Zack…!_

Soon, Cloud flew through the clouds, and Cloud landed, letting Zack stand on the clouds. "Whoa…" breathed Zack, looking around. "It--It--It's _beautiful_…!" Cloud looked around and found that he had to agree.

It was almost like all the drawings and paints of heaven that you saw at museums. The clouds were everywhere, gently drifting around their feet. The sun shined brightly, but it's light was soft and comforting, and even the stars shined bright. You had to see it to believe it. It truly a breathtaking sight.

"I'm here… I'm actually here…" breathed Zack, walking around a little. "Hah ha hah! I'm here! I made it!" he ran over to Cloud and gave him a huge hug. "And it's all thanks to you! I could ask for now greater gift, Cloud!"

Cloud blushed a little in surprise, but smiled and returned the hug. "No, it's thanks to you, Zack. Because you were there for me, and had faith in me, I knew I could do it!"

Zack stopped hugging Cloud and held him so that he could be face to face with Cloud. "No, no thanks to me at all. It's all you."

Cloud looked into Zack's eyes. _We're so close…!_ thought Cloud, his heart thudding wildly. _Ooh…I--I--I hope…!_

Zack smiled and stood up. "Let's stay here a while. I'd rather stay here a few hours, wouldn't you?"

"I--I would!" agreed Cloud, feeling really elated. "Let's stay as long as we want!"

"Then sit here next to me," said Zack, sitting down and patting the spot next to him. "We have all the time in the world." Cloud nodded and sat down next to Zack. He leaned onto Zack, who smiled and put an arm around him, and together they watched the stars in the promised land.

**However, back at Shinra Company…**

Rufus bent down to pick up some white feathers that had scattered to the grounds. "Just as I suspected…" he said, examining the white feather. He held the feather up to the sunlight, and plucked a strand of his own hair to hold it to the feather. "…it'll go just perfectly," he said evilly to himself. "Oh, the cruelest thing I could to my father… To have him die at my hands… And no one will ever know, because…. Of course…" he pocketed the feather and hair strand and turned to walk back to Shinra. "Cloud Strife murdered shachoo."  
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**Wow, let's leave it at that for now! What'll happen next do you suppose? Wasn't this a sweet chapter? I thought so… Well, see you later!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Time for some… _murder_.

**A/N: **Exactly! But…wow, you all reacted a bit more emotionally then I thought you would. But I couldn't agree more… RUFUS IS AN EVIL S.O.B! But sadly, he won't get his ass kicked…not yet, at least. -evil grin-

Oh, oh, before we begin, Muses, bring our guest in!

**Muses: **-bring in Cloud-  
**Me: **This Saturday is Cloud's birthday, and he's a bit busy, but we actually got to spend a few minutes with him! You know, so all you readers can wish him a happy birthday! Right, Cloud?  
**Cloud: **…  
**Me: **…uh, anyway… ALL TOGETHER, MUSES!  
**Me and the Muses: **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLOUD!  
**Cloud: **…wow, thanks…  
**Me: **You too, readers!  
**Readers: **Happy 24th birthday, Cloud!  
**Cloud: **…  
**Mario: **He has to go now.  
**Me: **Aaw… Well, once again, happy b-day, Cloud. Hope to see you again!  
**Cloud: **…you too, I guess…  
**Muses: **-leave with Cloud-  
**Me: **-sighes sadly- Damn shame to have to see him go… Oh, well, next year. Or next time he can come see us:3

Let's carry on!

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Assassination in the Company**  
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By the time Zack and Cloud got back to Shinra, it was dinner time. They had just walked into the cafeteria when Zack's two friends hurried towards him. "Hey, Zack!" called one SOLDIER. "We got a message from the vice president!"

"You do?" asked Zack in surprise.

"Actually, it's for Cloud. Rufus wants to see you in his office," said the other SOLDIER. "Said it was important."

"Rufus wants to see me?" asked Cloud. "Why?"

"Dunno," shrugged one SOLDIER. "But Rufus said it shouldn't take long. So I'd go see him now to see what he wants."

"…okay, I guess so," said Cloud quietly. _I hope it's nothing too bad, _thought Cloud with a smile to himself as he walked away from the cafeteria. _I'm feeling pretty happy right now… This shouldn't take long…_ He stopped and looked around. "Uhm… Where's the vice presidents office?"

"Here, I'll take you there," said Rufus behind him.

Cloud jumped and whirled around. "…oh, okay then…" he said. He followed Rufus to his office, lowering his head a little. _It's very easy for me to open up around Zack,_ he thought to himself. _But I'm still so shy around people…_

They arrived at Rufus's office, which was down the hall and to the left of the cafeteria. Rufus walked to his desk, but didn't sit down. "Please, take a seat, Strife."

Cloud nodded, taking a seat without saying anything. He stared down at the ground, waiting for Rufus to talk first.

"I'm pretty sure your friend delivered the message saying this won't take long, right?" he asked.

"Yes, he did…"

"Well, he was right," said Rufus, pulling out a pair of hair cutters scissors, snipping them twice.

Cloud blinked in surprise and looked up. "S-Sir?" he asked tentatively.

"Oh, this is just procedure, nothing to worry about," said Rufus, walking towards Cloud and taking hold of a lock of spikey hair.

"You're gonna cut my hair!" asked Cloud in shock.

"No, no, just a little bit," said Rufus, cutting the lock he held. "We do it to all SOLDIERs, you know, to make sure they're all right and not taking drugs, and so on."

"But I'm not taking drugs," said Cloud in confusion, feeling the spot where Rufus had cut. He hadn't cut it all out, so he had no bald spot (thankfully).

"Sure, that's what they all say," said Rufus, taking the lock of Cloud's hair and putting it down on the desk.

"But--"

"No buts. You're dismissed," said Rufus bluntly, putting the scissors in the drawer.

Cloud opened his mouth to protest, then changed his mind with a resigned sigh, and left the room.

After he closed the door, Rufus pulled out the feathers he found yesterday. _It's a good thing he's gullible,_ thought Rufus. _Soon, you'll be going through more then just a haircut or two… Imagine having to explain yourself for something you never did…_

**With Cloud…**

Cloud walked back to the cafeteria slowly, feeling slightly confused. _Why did he take a lock of my hair? Zack never mentioned that…_ He entered the cafeteria and sat down next to Zack, lost in his own thoughts.

Zack was about to take a bit out of his beef sauté sandwich when he noticed Cloud's expression. "Cloud?" he asked, lowering the sandwich. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" asked Cloud, looking up. "No, nothings wrong."

"Are you sure? You got this slightly confused look on your face… Did Rufus say something to you?"

"Well, no, he just took some scissors and cut a small lock of my hair."

"He did?" asked Zack. "That's odd… Why would he do that?"

"He said he did that to all SOLDIERs," said Cloud. "I thought you'd know about it."

"No, there's no such thing," said Zack, feeling suspicious now. "Why, did he tell you that?"

"Yes, he did," said Cloud. "But… if that's not the case, then why would he take a lock of my hair?"

Zack stared at the sandwich thoughtfully. _This really is odd… Rufus arranged a quick meeting between him and Cloud just to take a lock of his hair? What does that mean? Maybe it's something the Turks need,_ decided Zack, though he didn't feel entirely convinced with himself as he took a bit of his beef sauté sandwich.

**Meanwhile, with the Tsengs' group…**

Tseng had ordered the rest of the Turks to regular research. _A quick sweep through all the SOLDIERs programming…_ he thought to himself as he went through every individual program. _I wonder what would make Rufus suspect that a SOLDIER has an illegal program…_

"Hey, the printer's out of paper," announced Reno.

"Then go refill it," said Elena, glancing up from her laptop to give Reno a scowl. "It's not always up to me to refill the printer."

"I wasn't asking you to refill the printer!" retorted Reno. "I was just informing everyone not to print anything right now, as it'll take me a while to go get the paper from the storage room from the third floor."

"Oh, oops…" said Vincent quietly. He had just finished a 42-page report and hit the 'print' button.

The printer made a "whrr whrrr whrr" sound, and then made a "boop boop boop" sound. Then it printed out a picture of a blonde haired lady in a red bikini.

Reno stared at it for a few seconds. "Okay, who tried to print something?" asked Reno, heading for the door. He sighed to himself. "Jeez, those stupid HP printers…" he left the room.

"The printer's out of paper, that sucks," said Rude. He shifted guiltily in his seat, seeing as he was the one who printed the picture of the blonde in the bikini.

Tseng looked up. "The printer's out of paper?" he sighed and shook his head. "Honestly, all that paper gone, and you have nothing to show for it…"

"We do many things!" protested Rude, thinking about his own personal locker which had pictures of swimsuit models and so on taped inside.

"Yes, and we've plenty to show for it!" protested Vincent, thinking about his own personal locker which had pictures of Lucrecia taped inside.

"And we work hard 24/7! Don't you dare imply we're lazy!" protested Elena, thinking about her own personal locker which had pictures of Tseng taped inside.

"I wasn't going to," said Tseng in a bored voice, going back to searching through the SOLDIERs programs.

"What are you doing, anyway?" asked Elena curiously. "You told us to continue research, yet you're not doing yours. What are you looking up?"

"I was ordered by Rufus to run a sweep on all the SOLDIERs programming. He thinks there's a SOLDIER out there that created an illegal program to grow wings and fly."

"Why can't we join?" asked Rude whiningly.

"First off, this is the leaders job. And second of all, I'm the fastest reader and writer/typist here. So therefore, it'll be I who searches. Now get back to work."

"Yes, sir," chorused all the Turks with a resigned sigh, going back to work.

Reno entered the room with an armload of printer paper. "Hah! Got some!" he said. He stuffed the paper into the printer paper receiver thing. It started up right away. "Stupid HP printers…" he said to himself, picking up the picture of the blonde in the bikini. "By the way, whose is this?" he asked curiously, holding it up.

Elena, Vincent, and Rude all gaped at the picture. Tseng looked up too, and froze when he saw the picture. "Who…who printed that?" he asked slowly.

All the Turks looked away and pointed at each other.

Tseng shook his head. "Honestly, the dirty minds of people these days…"

"It's not dirty!" said Rude defensively, snatching the picture from Reno. "You see the way she's standing, with her arms above her head as she enjoys the summer rays? That's beauty, not dirty!"

"It's very degrading!" exclaimed Elena. "How can you stand to even look at those!"

"It's easy!" said Reno and Rude, both staring googly-eyed at the picture. Vincent stared for a couple seconds, then muttered "Lucrecia" under his breath and walked to the printer to get his 42-page report.

Tseng had gotten through all of the 5th through 2nd class SOLDIERs, and now he was starting on the 1st class SOLDIERs. _Thank god there's only 64 1st class SOLDIERs…_ he thought as he scanned through the first program there, which was Cloud Strife. All the programs were arranged alphabetically.

"Hah!" exclaimed Elena happily as she reread her report. "72 pages!"

"What!" demanded Vincent, who had just sat back down with his 42-page report. "How on earth could you have done 72 pages!"

"Easy, I'm a hard worker," smiled Elena, hitting the 'print' button.

Tseng stopped for a second as he read Cloud's program. _What's this…?_

"I'm only on page 3," admitted Reno sadly. "I can't think of anything to write… I mean, what is there to write?"

"About 72 page worth," said Rude sadly. He had only 10 pages done.

"…and the font she uses is _tiny_!" exclaimed Vincent, taking a peek at Elena's computer screen. "How can anyone read that! That font is…" he checked the font. "Font 7 ½!"

"Waste not," said Elena, waiting at the printer for it to be done printing.

Vincent stared ruefully at his own report. _A font size that's only 7 ½, AND she's using Informal Roman as the font text… Gee, I only used a font size 10 using the font text Verdana…_

Tseng narrowed his eyes as he finished reading Cloud's program. _…so it was Cloud…_ he thought. _Cloud wrote a program to enable himself to fly…? But this is a very complicated program, and it's password protected, so no-one but the one who wrote the program can change it… I'd better tell Rufus and shachoo right away…_

"Ah, there it is," said Elena with satisfaction, taking out her 72-page report from the printer.

Tseng reached for his phone and dialed shachoo. "Shachoo, I've run a sweep on all of the SOLDIERs programs."

"_You did? On whose orders?"_

"On…On Rufus's orders, sir. I thought it was your idea."

Shachoo sighed on the other end. "_Aw, that's Rufus for you. Why did he have you run a sweep on all of the SOLDIERs programs?_"

"He said that he suspected that a SOLDIER here had created himself an illegal program that enabled him to grow wings and fly. And I think he may be right."

_"Well, tell me what you found out. Who has the illegal program?_"

"Cloud Strife does, shachoo. It's right here in plain sight when you load his program. It's even password protected, so I can't get in."

"_…I see…"_ said shachoo slowly. _"Well, we should get our lead programmer on that. He'll fix it, get rid of it. Now that you've found the illegal program, your sweep is over. Get back to research on Jenova's signs of life, all right? You have your orders."_

"Yes, shachoo."

"_And don't worry about this, I'll tell Rufus about this myself._"

"Okay," said Tseng, hanging up. "Well, that takes care of that," he said to himself, standing up. He noticed that all the Turks were watching him now. "What?"

"You seemed to be in a very important phone call," said Elena. "And naturally, we're curious."

"Sorry, but this is need-to-know information."

"And let me guess," said Reno. "We don't need to know."

"Exactly," said Tseng, closing the laptop with a snap. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Get back to work, all of you."

All the Turks sighed simultaneously and said, "Yes Tseng," together.

**Back with Cloud…**

Cloud didn't each much dinner, and he left the cafeteria alone, heading for the Chocobo Garden. _I'm really confused now…_ he thought sadly to himself, sitting down on the grassy green hills of the garden. _I felt so happy after seeing the promised land with Zack, but now… I have this feeling of foreboding… Like something bad is going to happen… _He yawned and stretched. "Yawn… I'm a little sleepy…"

"Caw!" said Kumo. She sat down next to Cloud, giving his right arm a nuzzle.

Cloud smiled at Kumo and scratched her head. "Maybe I should learn the Chocobo language too," he said. "Maybe then I'll understand what your saying…"

Kumo purred, and curled up next to him. "Caw, caw," she said sleepily, and fell asleep.

"…I'm gonna guess that meant 'good night'," said Cloud. _Maybe I'll sleep here in the garden, _thought Cloud. _No one ever said it wasn't allowed…_ Cloud lied down next to Kumo and fell into an easy sleep.

**With Zack…**

Zack left the cafeteria, and looked at the doors sadly. _There are times when it's best to be left alone… but I wonder if something's bugging him…_ he made his way upstairs to his room. "Maybe he's just worried about something," decided Zack, getting comfortable in his bed. _Yeah, that's it…_ Zack didn't feel thoroughly convinced with himself, but he fell asleep anyway, thinking he'd ask Cloud in the morning.

**With shachoo in his office…**

Shachoo was about ready to call it a day. He had just sent an e-mail to Zack regarding Cloud's illegal program, and signed out for the day when the door knocked. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.

The door opened and Rufus walked in. "Ah, just about getting down for the day, huh?" asked Rufus. "It was a busy day today, huh?"

"Eh, slightly," agreed shachoo, lifting and raising one shoulder. "Being the shachoo isn't as easy as you think it'll be, Rufus, let me tell you… Don't be thinking that you're ready to take my place. It's hard, hard work."

"It must be," said Rufus, pacing the room a little. "Imagine how untrusting you must feel about everyone… Anyone at any given time can suddenly…turn on you."

"That's true, but I'm not too unduly worried about that," said shachoo, stacking a few files and stuffing them into a drawer. "After all, who'd want to take my place? I run this company fine, and so far I've had no complaints."

"Not too unduly worried," repeated Rufus. "Huh… If you say so…"

Shachoo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why do you bring this up?"

"Oh, I have a few reasons," said Rufus with a small laugh. "You see, you should've been more worried about me…"

"What are you talking about?" asked shachoo. "Why should I be worried about you? Can't you take care of yourself?"

"Of course I can. The question is, can you take care of me? Of this company? The way you're running it now, it won't even last thirty years… I have to change it. To make things better. To let Shinra Company last forever."

"How, Rufus? You're not shachoo yet," reminded shachoo.

"Oh, I'm not?" he asked. He walked around behind shachoo. "I think I'll be the judge of that…" With the speed of a skilled murderer, Rufus pulled out a dagger he got from the weapons room and slit shachoo's throat down to his collar bone.

Shachoo gasped and spluttered in surprise, but no help was coming his way soon. "How--how could you…" he rasped. "I'm--I'm your father…!"

Rufus pretended to shrug regretfully. "Too bad you weren't the father I wanted. Go on and die slowly if you want. I'm in no hurry." he walked to the door and locked it.

Shachoo slumped over his desk, trying to reach for the phone, but it was no use; the loss of blood was weakening him. "I--I never imagined… my own son…"

"Right, of course not," said Rufus. "Just like you…ah, _other_ son? The best SOLDIER? Of course you never imagined."

"You….you…" but what shachoo was going to say never came out. He gave on the last wheezing breath and collapsed onto the desk completely.

Rufus looked upon his dead father with an evil smile on his face. "There's not point in acting all surprised," he informed the dead shachoo, examining the dagger he stole from the weapons room. "You had some small inking that this would happen, didn't you? You should've taken action to prevent this… You never took my advice, it's your own fault your dead today.

"Now, time to hide the evidence" …Rufus tossed the dagger onto the floor, and pulled out the white feathers and Cloud's hair lock, making a trail that looked like it lead to the window. He looked out the window and noticed that Cloud was sleeping in the Chocobo Garden. "Well, that just makes things run more smoothly for me… You couldn't have picked a better spot to sleep tonight…"

With an evil smile, Rufus kept the door locked from the inside, leaving the office like nothing happened. And the terrible thing is, no-one noticed Rufus leave the room. And the first one to discover the door locked the next morning would be…  
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**WOW! I never thought I could actually DO murder… but I did it!  
Rose: **You can thank me for that, as I'm the Muse of Horror/Mystery/Suspense.  
**What does that have to do with anything?  
Rose: **I provided the inspiration for this. Pretty good, huh?  
**Well, you're right. Pretty…well, murderous. Well, who'll be the one to discover what happened first? Find out in the next installment of "Life as a SOLDIER". See you!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Really excellent. Really. And sorry for the long wait.

**A/N: **Wow, thanks. I never knew I could do it, either! But I did:3 Let's go on and see what happens. And the long wait wasn't my fault, it was the people running ffdotnet! Don't throw blame on me! ...not that I'm blaming ffdotnet of course. -smiles innocently-

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Innocent Fugitive**  
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The next morning, the secretary came and knocked on shachoo's door, with a pot of coffee in her hands. She was just following routine. "Shachoo, I've brought your morning coffee," she said.

No answer.

She sighed, knocking on the door. "Shachoo," she said a bit louder. "I've brought your morning coffee."

Still no answer.

The secretary sighed. "I guess you're still asleep, huh?" she placed the coffee pot on the ground, pulled out a set of keys, and unlocked the door to shachoo's office. "Shachoo," she said. "I've brought you're…you're…" she trailed off at the sight in front of her.

Shachoo was slumped over his desk, his face buried in a pool of his own blood; a bloodstained dagger was nearby, along with a few scattered white feathers and some strands of blonde hair.

"Sha--Shachoo!" wailed the secretary dropping the coffee pot and backing up. She fell to her knees and let out a shrill, bloodcurdling scream. "He--He's been murdered!"

At the sound of the secretary's scream, a bunch of SOLDIERs and Turks had rushed over, their weapons drawn and everything. "What's the matter? Who's been murdered?" demanded a Turk.

"In--In there!" stammered the secretary, pointing fearfully into the room. "It's horrible!"

"Step aside, let me through," said Tseng, hearing the commotion. He walked into shachoo's office and stopped suddenly. "…!" he gasped in surprise. "What is this…!"

"What's going on here?" asked Zack, who had been awakened by the scream. "Did I hear someone mention murder?" Zack came to stand next to Tseng and stopped too. "Oh my god…!" he gasped suddenly.

"Exactly…" agreed Tseng, looking around the room. He spotted the dagger and feathers and hair and walked over to it. "What is this…?"

Zack stared in shock at the white feathers. _It--It can't be…!_

Tseng looked up at Zack. "You, bring Cloud in here. There'll be a reckoning for this…"

"Of--Of course," stammered Zack, hurrying out of shachoo's office. By now, almost all of Shinra was awake, and heard the news. Even the scientists had gathered to hear the news. Zack tried Cloud's room first, but he wasn't in here. "…Did he stay in the garden?" asked Zack, running to the garden. Sure enough, there was Cloud, asleep on the hill. He kneeled down to Cloud, shaking him awake. "Cloud! Cloud, wake up!"

"Awa-wa-wa!" started Cloud. He shook his head and looked up at Zack. "Zack?" he asked sleepily.

"Cloud, something terrible has happened," said Zack urgently. "Try to wake up! Shachoo has been assassinated!"

"He's been what?" asked Cloud in mild surprise, rubbing his eyes. "Am I still dreaming…?"

"No, Cloud, this is no dream. Tell me, where were you last night?"

Cloud blinked twice, trying to remember. "Uhm… After dinner, I came down here… I must have fell asleep…"

"Well, Tseng said he has to see you," said Zack, standing up with Cloud. "You'll have to see this…"

For some reason, Zack seemed to be avoiding Cloud's gaze. _What's going on?_ thought Cloud in confusion as he followed Zack to where everyone had gathered.

"Very good, Zack, please bring Cloud over here," said Tseng. "We have to question him about this."

"Question me?" repeated Cloud, looking between Zack and Tseng. "About what? What's going on?"

"You don't know?" asked Tseng skeptically. "That's not something you'd be likely to say, is it? Not when you're the top suspect in this…"

"Shachoo was murdered last night," said Zack, pointing into the room.

"Murdered!" repeated Cloud in shock, looking to where Zack pointed. He gasped in even more shock, backing up a little. "You--You think _I_ did it!"

"I have reason to believe that," said Tseng, lifting up several white feathers. "Did these come from you?"

"…! Ye-Yes, I-- But, no, I never visited shachoo last night, much less murdered him!"

"I discovered yesterday that you had written yourself an illegal program to grow yourself wings. Is that not true?"

Cloud didn't answer, looking helplessly at Zack.

Zack sighed deeply, lowering his head slightly. "You see, Tseng, I… I wrote that program for him."

"You did?" asked Tseng. "Why?"

"Because he asked me to," answered Zack. "He seemed to want to grow wings after hearing about Sephiroth's wing. I wrote the program for him, but I…"

"You can't think that I did it!" cried Cloud. "I never even touched shachoo!"

Zack looked away and didn't answer.

"The murderer's weapon is in the room," said Tseng. "I'll bet you're going to tell me that this didn't come from you either," he said, indicating the bloody dagger on the ground.

"It's true, I've never seen that before," said Cloud.

"Well… I'll have to investigate this," said Tseng. He turned to the Turks and ordered, "Get someone over here to get shachoo's body for burial. And go fetch Rufus."

"Yes, sir," said the Turks, hurrying off to obey orders.

Cloud tugged on Zack's glove. "You know I didn't do it, right? I could never kill anyone! You _have_ to believe me, Zack!"

"…I…but what we saw in there…" said Zack.

"You're the only one I trust!" said Cloud. "Please don't suspect me for a crime I never committed!"

Zack looked Cloud in the eyes at last. _There _is_ truth and sincerity in his eyes…_ realized Zack. _I want to believe him, but…_

Tseng stood still in thought for a few moments as Rufus entered the scene. "What's this I hear?" he demanded to Tseng. "Has shachoo seriously been murdered?"

"I'm afraid so," said Tseng with a gesture to the body that the Turks were laying down on a body bag.

Rufus gasped. "Who found him like that? And who did this?"

"The secretary found him this morning," answered Tseng. "And right now, our suspect is Cloud. These were found at the crime scene."

"Oh, my…" said Rufus as Tseng showed him the feathers, hair strands, and dagger. "What a terrible tragedy…"

"It must be," said Tseng as the Turks carried out the body bag. "After all, shachoo _was_ your father."

"Yes…" said Rufus with a slight evil grin when Tseng wasn't looking. "Was my father… I'm going to have to take his place, aren't I?"

"It would seem so," said Tseng. He turned to Cloud. "You're going to have to come with me," he said. "If you're found guilty, there's some serious punishment for a crime like that."

"But I didn't do it!"

"I said if," sighed Tseng. "Don't make this situation ay more difficult then it has to be."

He motioned for Cloud to follow him. Cloud gave one last desperate glance at Zack and followed disheartened behind Tseng.

Zack watched them walk away sadly. He trudged to the stairs slowly, sitting down on the bottom step. Zack's two SOLDIER friends spotted him. "Oh, Zack, there you are!" said the one SOLDIER. "Have you heard the news?"

"Yeah, I heard…" said Zack. "Everyone's heard of it by now…"

"Yeah, and they're saying that Cloud did it," said the other SOLDIER. "Do you think so?"

"I…I don't know…" said Zack quietly. "Part of me _knows _that Cloud would never kill anyone. But the other, more rational, part says that the evidence is staggering…"

"So you're in a bit of a bind," said the other SOLDIER.

"Why, do you think Cloud killed shachoo?" asked Zack.

The two SOLDIERs exchanged uneasy glances. "I'm sorry to say this, Zack, but we… We agree with the rational part of you."

"I thought you two would…" said Zack. "What would happen if this got back to Sephiroth…?"

"Too late," said one SOLDIER, watching Sephiroth walk out of his room and to Rufus, clearly asking what was going on. The look of half-surprise-half-delight on Sephiroth's face meant that he, too, thought Cloud did it, and was pretty impressed by it.

With a nod, Sephiroth walked over to Zack. "Rufus says that Cloud murdered the shachoo. The secretary discovered it earlier this morning."

"I know that…" said Zack, resting his chin on his hand.

"He doesn't believe that Cloud killed him with the emotional side of him," said one SOLDIER.

"But his more rational side says that Cloud must have killed shachoo," finished the other SOLDIER. "And we believe that side."

"Oh, even Zack suspects Cloud in this?" asked Sephiroth. "Well, believe what you want to believe. I'm pretty surprised, though… If Cloud indeed killed shachoo."

"If?" repeated Zack, looking up.

"It's highly unlikely, but maybe Cloud didn't kill shachoo." Sephiroth shrugged. "Then again, what do I know?"

Suddenly, the sounds of a window breaking were heard, and someone shouted, "He's escaping! He dived and flew out the window!"

"What!" asked Zack, hurrying to the source of the sound. "What do you mean!"

"Just now, he jumped!" yelled a Turk, pointing out the broken window.

Zack ran to the window, looking up and around.

"I'd try looking forward if I were you," said Sephiroth slowly, pointing forward.

Zack followed the point and saw indeed that Cloud had jumped out the window and flew off. "What happened?" asked Zack, turning to face the Turk. "What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything," said the Turk. "I told him to wait here for Tseng to get back with the rest of the Turks when suddenly he grabbed his sword and shattered the window."

"Is that so…?" asked Sephiroth. "Why would he want to escape?"

"Well, now I have to go get Tseng to report this," said the Turk. "You know procedure, of course? In the given circumstances such as these, if the suspect decides that he's going to escape, all the SOLDIERs have to go out and search for him. He had to go somewhere."

"Of--Of course…" stammered Zack. "I'll get them rounded up…" As he nodded to Sephiroth and hurried off to gather the rest of the SOLDIERs, Zack felt his trust for Cloud slip a little. _He can't have done it,_ thought Zack. _But if he didn't do it… Why did he run?_

**With Cloud…**

The first place Cloud went to was Midgar. He hurried through the streets until he reached Aeris's church. The news would have been all over the news by now, but he knew one person who never really caught on to public events. He knocked on the door and called, "Aeris, open up! It's me!"

The sounds of hurried footsteps were heard, and Aeris opened the door curiously. "Cloud?" she asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? I'm not used to callers this early in the morning."

"Please let me come in," said Cloud, looking around. "I have to talk to you."

"…of course," said Aeris, letting Cloud come inside. She closed the door and walked to the front row benches, patting the spot next to her. "Sit down and tell me what happened. I'll try to help the best way I can."

Cloud sat down and hurriedly told her about what had happened, from the secretary discovering the shachoo to him being the suspect in the murder to him finally running away. "I know I didn't do it, but no-one else seems to believe me…not even Zack…"

"Yes, you didn't do it," said Aeris. "I can tell that by looking at you… But, why did you run?" she asked curiously.

"I… I guess I didn't want to be there for a while… I needed to get away, to find someone who does believe me… You do, right? You seriously believe me?"

"Yes, I do," said Aeris with a sad smile. "And I'm sure Zack will too. He must have been shocked. According to you, the shachoo was murdered by blood loss…"

"He was…"

"…well," said Aeris, standing up. "I'll let you stay here as long as you need to. Until you or Zack can come up with something that will clear your name."

"Really?" asked Cloud.

"Of course. If you being found is a bad thing, then we'll have to disguise you."

"How? I'm pretty recognizable, what with my hair and stature."

"Not when you're a Cetra," said Aeris with a wink. "I'll make you an outfit of some sorts, and the magic imbedded on it will only let those who truly think you innocent see you. Will that work?"

"…yes, it will," said Cloud. He sighed dejectedly. "I know I didn't murder the shachoo… But, who did?"

"We'll find out in due time, won't we?" asked Aeris. "Now wait here while I go get the supplies. And why not some breakfast? You must be hungry." Cloud nodded, and Aeris smiled. "Okay then. Wait here. If someone comes knocking, don't answer the door. Even if it's Tifa or Cid. Or Zack. I'm not sure what they'll think when they get the news, so don't show yourself yet."

"But if someone enters the church?" asked Cloud. "Where do I hide in here?"

"Oh… Well…" said Aeris slowly, looking around. "You could always hide there in the shadows. No-one ever checks there."

"Are you sure?" asked Cloud.

Aeris smiled in her secretive way. "I'm positive. Now wait here, okay? I'll be back in about 20 minutes."

"Okay…" said Cloud, looking down at Aeris's garden of lilies. _I'll hide here then…_ decided Cloud. _Until my name is cleared…Please let Zack believe me…It'll just destroy me if Zack doesn't believe me…_  
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Wow. Just uh…wow. Pretty good job, huh? Oh, BTW, I SOO TOTALLY AGREE! WHAT A B-beep-TARD! …but wow, Rufus sure is unpopular. Heh heh… See you next chapter! **


	35. Chapter 35

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **This is a repost. We made a sligh boo-boo here.

**A/N: **Yeah, we did. Here's the corrected version. Sorry if I caused any confusion! Heh heh... let's carry on.

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Sephiroth Strikes a Bargain** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Aeris came walking back inside the church with an armload of dark colored clothing and a long tatterted red cloth. On top of the cloth was two bags of doughnuts. "I didn't know what kind if doughnuts you liked, so I got you a jelly-filled, a maple round, and a choclate-sprinkle rectangle. Is that allright with you?"

Cloud looked up from the bench. "The maple and chocolate, yes, but I'm not too fond of jelly-filled…"

"That's okay," said Aeris cheerfully. "I'll switch your jelly-filled for my chocolate round. Deal?"

"…okay. Thank you very much, Aeris," said Cloud gratefully, taking the chocolate round and taking a famished bite out of it.

"Wow, you really must be hungry," said Aeris with a smile. "Well, let's quickly finish our breakfast and then I'll get working on that outfit."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" asked Cloud. "Do you need my measurements or anything?"

"No, actually, I already have it," said Aeris, indicating a small paper clipped to the tattered red cloth.

Cloud read the note curiously. It read,

_Aeris, these are the measurements for a new outfit for Cloud. Maybe he could wear it when this current outfit gets worn out. Cloud could even wear it to parties! I'm no good at making outfits, so I entrust you with Cloud's measurements. Use them well, okay, Aeris? I'm counting on you:D Hugs and kisses, Zack._

"Ah… So _that's_ why he took my measurements that day!" said Cloud. "He was planning a new outfit for me, but he can't sew?"

"No, he doesn't like sewing much. Says it requires too much patience." Aeris pulled out a sewing kit from under the bench. "I, however, have plenty of patience. It shouldn't take me more then an hour or two to finish."

"Really?" asked Cloud in surprise. "You can work that fast?"

"I can try," said Aeris. "I'm pretty good with a needle and cloth in my hands. You needn't worry, Cloud." She looked up at the ceiling. "I'm sure something good will come out of this… Someday…"

**Meanwhile, back at Shinra…**

"We'll have to run a thorough search on all the cities and villages in this world!" barked Bruce. "The whole world depends on if Shinra Company can run properly, and seeing as it can't without it's leader, they're all in this together. I'll take a group to Midgar, Zack will take a group to Corel, your group will take Wutai," he said to the guy next to him, "and you will take the southern regions," he added to the other guy next to him.

"What about me?" asked Sephiroth.

"You're going to Nibelheim," answered Bruce. "Be ready to leave in five minutes!"

"Sir, could… Could I go with Sephiroth?" asked Zack. _If Cloud took off to Nibelheim, I could start there…_

"No, Sephiroth has to go alone. Nibelheim isn't that big, and you've been ordered to go to Corel. There's no changing orders. Now get ready to leave."

"But I…" Zack trailed off as SOLDIERs began to shuffle out of the room. _Cloud can't have done it…but for me and everyone else to be sure… I _have_ to talk to him…_

"Don't worry," said Sephiroth, though a certain gleam in his eyes didn't make Zack feel too reassured. "If I find Cloud before you do, I know the exact way to prove Cloud's innocence."

"You do?"

"I certainly do," said Sephiroth. "If all goes well, Cloud will be declared innocent in a day or two."

"…thanks," said Zack slowly, not sure on whether it was okay to trust Sephiroth. "I… I hope you can do it then, if I can't."

"Oh, I'll just make an offer that _can't_ be refused," said Sephiroth with a smirk, stalking out of the room before Zack could ask more questions.

"…an offer that can't be refused…" repeated Zack uncertainly to himself. "Whatever could that mean…?"

**Back in Aeris's church…**

A few hours had passed, and it was a bit after lunchtime. Aeris lifted the outfit at arms length. "I say, this is a great looking outfit!"

"It certainly is!" agreed Cloud, impressed. "You made a complete outfit in the space of three and a half hours! How did you do it?"

"Like I said, I'm an incredible sewer." Aeris handed the outfit to Cloud. "Here, go behind that pillar and try it on. It should fit you good. And even a bit loose, like you requested."

"Thanks," said Cloud, taking the outfit and going behind the pillar to change.

"Why don't we test it out later?" suggested Aeris. "We could try going for a walk to the city gardens. Have you seen them yet?"

"No, I haven't."

"Well, then, if you don't mind, we can go down together. You'll need some fresh air, after spending so much time inside. You SOLDIERs never get enough fresh air."

"…but Aeris, it's the middle of winter," said Cloud in confusion. "What gardens will there be to see?"

"Not all gardens are limited to flowers," said Aeris. "Snow itself can be a beautiful thing to watch, even when it's not snowing."

"What if it gets cold?"

"We won't be out long," said Aeris. "Just long enough to give Zack time to think of something… I'm sure he will."

"All right," said Cloud, coming out from behind the pillar in the new outfit. "Well…What do you think?"

"It suits you perfectly," said Aeris with a smile. "Zack certainly has good taste. Can you see well past that scarf?"

"Yes, I can."

"Good then. We go on our walk now. While we all clear our heads, something good will happen."

"Let's hope so…" sighed Cloud, following Aeris out of the church. He looked around. People were walking around the streets near Aeris's church, and not one turned their head towards Cloud. Seeing as they all were murmuring something about "that murder", they could only mean that they, too, were searching for Cloud. "They don't see me," he said to Aeris.

"I know, they won't. At least, if they don't see you as truly innocent, they won't."

"Oh… I see…" Cloud looked around as he followed Aeris to the city's park. When he noticed that no one seemed to notice Aeris either, he asked, "Do they see you too?"

Aeris smiled secretively, and answered, "If I feel like being seen."

Cloud blinked in confusion, but asked no more questions as he sat down next to Aeris, watching the world go by as snow fell down slowly and softly. _It's no wonder Zack likes her so much…_thought Cloud sadly. _She can be so…wonderful. How can I ever turn Zack's eyes away from her…?_

**The next day…**

It was the day after shachoo was discovered. And still Shinra hadn't seen hide nor hair of Cloud. That, of course, was thanks to Aeris. She had made a special outfit as she promised, and even though a patrol of SOLDIERs searched the church thoroughly, they didn't spot the blonde SOLDIER. (As for the outfit, imagine a mix of Cloud's "Kingdom Hearts" outfit and the FF7 anime "Last Order" outfit).

Aeris hummed to herself, watering the lily garden as Cloud sat against a pillar. "The flowers are growing lovely," she said to Cloud. "They must feel that something good is going to happen."

"When will something good happen?" asked Cloud sadly. "It's been a day now, and Zack hasn't come here yet… I'd have thought that he'd come to you first, just like I would…"

"Hmm…" said Aeris thoughtfully. "Maybe we'll find that out in due time. But as for Zack--"

The door flew open and Tifa came running in. "Aeris! I'm glad I could find the time to get to you! I've been so busy that I never could find time to talk to you about what happened! You've heard, haven't you?"

"I have," said Aeris, standing up and setting her watering can on a set of crates. "What would you like to ask about it?"

"Well, I…" Tifa trailed off as she spotted Cloud. "…! You--You're here!" she asked in shock.

Cloud brightened and stood up. "Then you know I'm innocent, right! You truly believe me!"

"Well, I know you'd never commit murder," said Tifa. She eyed Cloud. "What's with the get-up?"

"It's an outfit I made for him," said Aeris. "It shields him from those who want to convict him for a crime he didn't commit."

"Oh… Well, it was shocking when I first heard it," said Tifa, sitting down on the bench. "But if Cloud didn't do it, then who did?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," said Aeris. "We've been hoping that Zack would show up so we could discuss this, but so far he hasn't come…"

"Maybe he was assigned to a different city to search?" suggested Tifa. "He could've been sent elsewhere. There are more cities then Midgar, you know."

"Maybe…" said Cloud sadly, sitting back down. "But I truly hoped that he'd be here…"

"Oh, Aeris!" called Zack. The three looked to the open church doors to see Zack there. "Sorry it took me a while to get here, but I was assigned to a different city, so I couldn't get here…"

Cloud gave Tifa a look that asked "how did you know". Tifa shrugged.

"That's great, we were just waiting for you," said Aeris pleasantly. "We have a bit to discuss."

"We sure do," sighed Zack. He sat down next to Aeris, and noticed Cloud. "…! Oh, he's here!"

"Then you know I'm innocent, too!" said Cloud, a wave of relief washing over him. "That's good."

"I made a small mistake," said Zack guiltily, looking away. "But… I know it wasn't you."

"So, how can we prove Cloud's innocence?" asked Tifa.

"We've been thinking about that," said Aeris. "But Cloud and I can't really come up with anything…"

"Well, let's think about this…"

Everyone sat down for a few minutes, thinking the problem over.

"Come to think of it," said Zack a few minutes later, "according to a few reports, Sephiroth hasn't finished searching Nibelheim yet."

"He hasn't?" asked Cloud.

"No, he hasn't. And that got me thinking…"

"Go on," said Tifa.

"I was thinking that Cloud and I could get to Nibelheim somehow and convince the people there that Cloud didn't do it."

"Wait, why you and Cloud?" demanded Tifa. "Cloud and I have lived there almost all our lives! I'd stand a better chance of convincing them then you two! Let me go instead!"

"Why not take both?" asked Cloud.

"How could all three of you go undetected?" asked Aeris. "That'll be a tremendous feat to accomplish."

"I could try going on ahead and waiting for you and Tifa in Nibelheim," said Cloud. "I can travel that far without being spotted by anyone."

"Are you sure that it's worth the risk?" asked Zack.

"What risk is there? No one will see me unless they truly think me innocent. I doubt I'll be spotted."

"It's worth a try," said Tifa. "I agree. Let Cloud go ahead. We can meet him there."

"Then I guess I'll wait here," said Aeris. "I can't do much to help, and I feel like I've done my part anyway. I wish you three the best of luck."

"Thanks," said Tifa.

Zack sighed resignedly. "If that's the only plan we have…" He and Cloud and Tifa walked away, and Zack waved before he closed the door. "Well, we'll meet you in Nibelheim, Cloud."

"Be careful," added Tifa.

Cloud nodded. "I will. See you later, Zack, Tifa." he turned around and jumped high, taking to the skies and flying towards Nibelheim.

"Huh," scoffed Tifa as she followed Zack to a Shinra car. "He says my name last."

"The best for last, right?" asked Zack. "Don't worry, Cloud all the time tells me that he holds you high in his heart."

Tifa looked surprised. "He does?"

"Yeah, Everytime I ask him."

"…Oh, I see," said Tifa quietly to herself.

"What's that?" asked Zack as he started the car.

"It's nothing," laughed Tifa. "Just thinking about something Cid said. He's so funny sometimes. He reminds me so much of my departed fa-- uncle."

"Yeah, he's a funny guy. Well, let's get going."

Tifa sighed sadly. _That's just Cloud being Cloud…_ she thought to herself. _How can people be so oblivious to things as obvious as Cloud's feelings…?_

**With Cloud…**

It didn't take Cloud long to get to Nibelheim. He looked around and saw that it wasn't at all different. Same houses. Same small businesses. Same schools. Same parks and playgrounds. Same Nibelheim. Instinctively he looked up and around for anyone sneaking behind him. But no one was there. "No-one's gonna bully me around anymore…" he told himself. "And even if they do, I can defend myself now, if they can even see me…"

He wandered to towards the tree that he always ran too whenever he was bullied. As he rested a hand on it's bark, unpleasant memories began to ran through his mind…

**_Flash: Cloud collapsed onto the tree, feeling to beaten to stand, as the three bullies walk away…_**

_**Flash: It's raining heavily, and Cloud has barely any shelter from the rain, until Tifa came over with an umbrella, holding out her hand with a kind smile…**_

Cloud shook his head and took is hand off of the tree. "That's all in the past…" he told himself firmly. "It'll never happen again…"

"Oh, well, well, well, boys!" exclaimed a voice behind him. "If it isn't our darling Chocobo!"

Cloud gasped in surprise and whirled around. "…! It-It's you three!" _They can see me..! Then do they think I'm innocent!_

"We heard about the news, about that shachoo of Shinra being murdered and all," said the first bully. "And they're saying you did it. But we don't believe that."

"Exactly!" agreed the second bully. "You couldn't so much as hurt anyone! They must be crazy to suspect you!"

"Y-Yeah…" agreed Cloud tentatively.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" asked the third bully. "You on the run from them?"

"Yes…they don't believe me, they think…" Cloud looked down and scooted closer to the tree.

"You know, we'd think you'd ask about how we're doing here," said the first bully. "Like Pansy? Aren't you going to ask about her?"

Cloud gave the three a sideways glance. "Pansy?"

"Would you be shocked to hear that she's dating someone else?"

Cloud thought about it for a few seconds, and the second bully sneered, "I bet you're still crushed that Pansy rejected you that day, aren't you?"

"…no, I'm not," said Cloud. "I…don't like Pansy anymore. I like someone else."

"Oh, like _that's _a big surprise! Pheh, we knew you'd fall for your savior Tifa! Did you come here looking for her?"

"No, Tifa's in Midgar now, and I don't like her either. She's my best friend, yes, but I have feelings for someone else."

"Ooh, do you? Tell us who she is! Or should we say he?" Cloud looked up in shock at them. "Everyone knows about your little 'attraction' to the opposite gender. If you don't like Tifa, which you used to, then maybe some other guy came along and stole you heart. Is that it?"

"I--I'm not about to tell you anything," muttered Cloud, looking away to hide his red face.

"Fine then. That's okay with us, because we're through with talking that mushy love stuff."

"Yeah, we want to hear about your glory days at Shinra Company," said the second bully. "We'd have expected you to be much bigger, taller, and stronger by now! Isn't that what they do to the SOLDIERs there?"

"Because when we see you now, all we see is the same weak, shy, and timid Cloud that left Shinra a little over four months ago. You're not even one inch taller, you still have a scared look in your eyes, and you're arms are still scrawny, even if they're toned. It's like you never left Nibelheim at all."

"Except for the outfit," said the third bully. "Is that how all SOLDIERs dress at Shinra?"

Cloud didn't look up at them, and didn't answer.

"Oh, so now it's Mr. Shy all over again," said the first bully. "You know, we've haven't had a chance to beat someone up until now. We're almost glad you came along."

"I told you all once before… I don't like fighting. I don't feel like fighting you three right now…"

"It's not your opinions that matter here, blondie!" said the third bully.

_Blondie…?_ thought Cloud suddenly. _Rufus cut some of my hair, didn't he…! _He gasped out loud. _Of--Of course…! I didn't do it, it was Rufus!_

"It's not all that shocking," said the second bully, who must have interpreted the gasp as one of shock rather then of discovery. "They do train you to fight, right? Show us how much you've learned!"

"You carry those swords around for a reason, don't you?" asked the third bully.

"Yes, we do, but it's not for a free-for-all fight whenever we want… We only fight during training, or when somebody challenges you."

"We're challenging you now, smart one!"

"When SOLDIERs challenge another SOLDIER," said Cloud sharply. "I can decline a challenge from a trio of dumb barbaric bullies! You've no strength at all, if the best you can do is challenge your own villager to a fight!"

"Why you…!" said the first bully. He was about to charge at Cloud when he stopped suddenly. "Oh my god!" he yelled.

"Run for it!" yelled the second bully, and the three of them ran off yelling in fright.

"Huh. I can see you point," said a voice behind him.

Cloud gasped and whirled around. "Se-Sephy! You're here!"

"You sound so shocked," said Sephiroth with a look of mock-surprise. "Aren't you happy to see your friend?"

"I-- No, I'm happy to see you, it's just… I figured out something, and I'm a little surprised. I know who murdered the shachoo!"

"So do I," said Sephiroth. "But if you go back to Shinra now with that story, you'll be accused of the crime."

"You know that Rufus did it?" asked Cloud. "Can you help me prove it?"

"I sure can. But, I'll want something in return."

"Something in return?" asked Cloud. "Like what?"

Sephiroth walked a few paces ahead, then turned to face Cloud. "If you agree to train under me, I'll give you're your freedom."

"Eh! You want _me_ to train under _you_!"

"I don't know why, but… Somehow, I'm beginning to understand how Zack sees you… Maybe there is something different about you after all. I want to see it for my self, if there is such a thing…"

"I--I'm not sure if I want to train under you… This is really unexpected…"

"You mean to say you don't trust me?" asked Sephiroth. "I'm emotionally crushed. Here I am, offering to help you, and you accuse me of betraying you to Shinra Company! Some friendship!"

"No, no, that's not it!" said Cloud hurriedly. "It's just… I need time to think about it… Zack and Tifa are on their way here. Maybe we can all come up with something together."

Cloud was about to walk away when suddenly Sephiroth grabbed Cloud's shoulder. He leaned close to Cloud's face and asked, "Where do you think you're going…_killer_?"

"…!" gasped Cloud in surprise. "You…!"

"You can't refuse this offer, Cloud. Nothing Tifa nor Zack can come up with will save you. I'm the only one who can. Got it?"

"But I…"

"No more objections. Let's go back to Shinra together, and I'll give you a liable alibi. Then I'll prove how Rufus did it. Not that that will matter." He released Cloud and stepped away. "I assume you know how to fly now?"

"Huh…? Uh, well… Yes, I can…"

"Good, then fly behind me!" Sephiroth jumped to the sky and took flight.

Cloud blinked in surprise at him flying. _Even with only one wing, his flying is amazing…! It'll be hard to keep up with him…_ Cloud hurriedly flew after him, back to Shinra Company. _It's hard to believe that Sephy will actually clear my name… but, he traded my freedom so I could train under him…I wonder why he'd do that…?_  
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Muses: **-throwing tomatoes at a poster of Rufus-  
**Uh, guys, point proven. Nobody likes Rufus, thank you.  
Muses: **-continue to throw tomatoes at poster of Rufus-  
**Sigh… Do what you like. Anyway, see you next chapter! Hope you can't wait for the next installment! And we're reaching the end of the first season! Aren't we excited! See you next chapter! And sorry about the mistake!  
**


	36. Chapter 36

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Can I tomato the poster too? -tomatoes poster of Rufus-

**A/N: **…Please do. -throws a tomato half-heartedly at a poster of Rufus- Well, carrying on…

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Under the Wing of Sephiroth**  
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Cloud waited outside the door, twiddling his hands anxiously. _I hope Sephy can prove my innocence… I know he can…_ He paced around Sephiroth's room, where Sephiroth had asked him to wait. _I'll be training under Sephy now… Does that mean I can't train with Zack anymore…? I hope not… What kind of things will Sephy teach me? Maybe he'll make me as grand as him…_

_**Flash: "It's okay, Cloud. You can stay at my house. You'll be all right there," said Tifa, holding out her hand to a soaking-wet Cloud…**_

Cloud winced. "That was a long time ago…" he said to himself, rubbing his left arm. "Come on, you've been good for a while now…" He sighed and wandered the recliner, sitting down wearily on it. Then he spotted Masamune on the table. "…? Sephy left it there…? Did he forget it?"

Masamune sparkled on the table most mysteriously.

"…it's a really long blade… I wonder it it's true that only Sephy can wield it…?" Cloud stood up and cautiously approached the long katana. "…It wouldn't hurt to hold it for a couple of seconds…" Cloud slowly reached for the hilt of Masamune…

"Cloud!" yelled Sephiroth, opening the door.

"Awa!" yelled Cloud in surprise, backing away from Masamune. "Oh, hi Sephy!" he said a little guiltily. "How--how did it go?"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What were you doing?"

"No-Nothing!"

"Hmm…Well, I just wanted to tell you that you're innocent."

"And Rufus?"

"Like I said earlier, it wouldn't matter if he was found guilty or not."

"What!" cried Cloud in disbelief. "But he murdered the shachoo! It's shachoo's blood on his hands!"

Sephiroth shrugged. "Rufus is now the shachoo. You can't convict the shachoo about anything."

"…that's not fair…"

"As long as Rufus said he didn't do it, we have to believe that." Sephiroth snorted. "The Turks all believe it."

"They do?"

"Yeah, it seemed that way…"

**Flashback…about one hour and seventeen minutes ago…**

Tseng slammed the table with both hands so he could be face to face with Rufus. "Mr. Rufus Shinra, do you own a handgun!" he demanded loudly.

"No, sir!" said Rufus loudly.

"There, see?" Tseng said to Sephiroth.

"But I do own a mini shotgun," said Rufus, pulling out his mini shotgun. "You couldn't kill anyone with a handgun. See, with this shotgun-" Rufus held it up "-you could…well…do many things with it! Heck, you could even chuck someone's mother off of a building and shoot her!"

Everyone stared at Rufus. "…"

"What?" asked Rufus.

Sephiroth cleared his throat loudly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak for Cloud."

"Sure, go ahead," said Tseng.

**End Flashback…**

"Would Rufus chuck someone's mother off of a building?" asked Cloud curiously.

"He murdered his own father. I doubt there's anything he wouldn't do. If it's for power, then you can count on him doing it."

"Oh…"

"Well, enough of that," said Sephiroth. "You're name has been cleared. Now we can get back to business."

"I suppose we can… But can I ask you a question first?" asked Cloud.

"You want to know why I want to train you?" guessed Sephiroth.

"Well, yes…"

"You didn't believe my reason? I told you, I want to see if Zack's ravings about something special about you is true. Is that really so hard to believe?"

"No, I believe you… it's just that I never thought that I'd be training under you… You being the best SOLDIER here and all…"

"I'll teach you many new things, true enough," said Sephiroth, picking Masamune up and heading for the balcony. "But you can't go train amongst the other SOLDIERs now. Not even Zack."

"I thought so," said Cloud sadly. "But it seems I have no choice now… You've bought my freedom by clearing my name. The least I can do is train under you, as you requested."

Sephiroth looked back at Cloud curiously. "Are you always so dramatic like that?"

"Eh?"

"The way you phrased it… 'You've bought my freedom'? Where'd you learn to talk like that?"

"Is something wrong with that?" asked Cloud. "I'm not always so…"

"Hmm… If you say so." Sephiroth turned back to the balcony, looking up at the night sky. "You remember what I said, don't you? About how you can't escape death?"

Cloud looked down, and muttered, "Yes, I remember that…"

"…Keep an eye on yourself while you train under me," said Sephiroth. "I won't be giving you an easy time, believe me. I know the best methods for building up your strength and pain-resisting. I can teach you sleep-deprivation, ignore hunger and thirst, adapt to your surroundings…"

"That sounds like a lot," commented Cloud.

"It is a lot," agreed Sephiroth. "And we start bright and early tomorrow. So I suggest you head back to your room and get a good nights sleep. I'll be waiting in the dueling room at 6:00 AM."

"6:00 AM!" repeated Cloud in shock. "Oh, no! I wish you'd tell me sooner! I'd better get some sleep!" without waiting a response, Cloud hightailed it out of there to get some sleep.

Sephiroth watched Cloud run back to his room from the balcony. _Maybe there is something unusual about you…after all…_

**With Cloud…**

Cloud closed his door and flopped wearily onto the bed. "Oh, man, what a day… I'd have never expected… When Zack comes back, I'll be sure to tell him about this…"

**_Flash: "Think about it, all right?" asked Tifa as she stood in her doorway. "You don't have to leave…"_**

Cloud closed his eyes, resting a hand on his left arm. "…I guess you have your off and on days too," he said to the stigma. "I do wish you'd leave me alone, though…" he rolled onto his side, and fell asleep.

**The next morning…**

It was 7:00 AM. And Cloud was still asleep.

Sephiroth paced the dueling hall irritably. "What is he doing?" he asked. "He should be here by now…" With an irritated sigh, Sephiroth stalked out of the dueling hall upstairs to Cloud's room. He knocked on the door once and called, "Cloud! Aren't you gonna wake up?"

No answer inside.

"Don't make me come in there," said Sephiroth warningly.

"No, let me sleep…" groaned Cloud from inside.

"…" Sephiroth opened the door to Cloud's room and strode over to his bed. "Cloud!" he said loudly.

Cloud blinked and looked up. "Awa!" he yowled in surprise, falling off of the bed. He stood up and dusted his outfit off. "Se-Sephy! What are you doing here in my room!"

"Do you realize that you are now one hour and 2 minutes late for my training?" asked Sephiroth. "I _told_ you that we'll start bright and early."

"…sorry…I forgot…"

"Next time, you'll do well to make sure you get to training on time," said Sephiroth. "Come on, let's go."

"Should I bring my swords?" asked Cloud.

"Nah, not today. Today's lesson will not require swords."

"…if you say so," said Cloud, following Sephiroth. He looked back at the hallway to where Zack's room was. _We can't train together anymore… That's so sad…_

Sephiroth hoped don the last two steps and headed for the cafeteria. "Will you keep up, please?" he asked, glancing back at Cloud.

"I'm sorry, I'm coming!" said Cloud, hurrying down the stairs. "But why are we going to the cafeteria. You want breakfast or something?"

"No, here's where we're going to hold our first lesson. In this kitchen. Come on," he added, leading Cloud into the cafeteria kitchen. "Let me see your hand," he said suddenly, stopping in front of a flooded sink.

"…? Sure," said Cloud uncertainly, holding out his left hand.

Sephiroth took Cloud's hand, took the glove off, picked up a kitchen knife, and made a deep slit on his palm.

"Ah!" cried Cloud in surprise. "What was that for!"

"It's the first lesson," reminded Sephiroth. "I told you that I'd teach you many new things. Resisting pain is th first lesson. As per the training, was all these dishes."

"With a slit hand?" asked Cloud dubiously. "Is that healthy?"

"Of course it is," said Sephiroth. "What YOU should be worrying about is yourself. I put some bleach lemon in that water."

"Whaa! But--But that'll hurt!" protested Cloud.

"It'll toughen you up," said Sephiroth. "You have to learn to ignore pain, otherwise you'll end up losing in battle because you were feeling the pain rather then ignoring it."

"But--"

"No more buts," said Sephiroth curtly, turning to leave. "I'll be back in about two hours. I expect you to be done by then."

"I don't get breakfast?" asked Cloud sadly.

"I thought we could try two lessons in one. You learn to ignore pain, hunger, and thirst this lesson. Get to work."

"But look at all these dishes!" exclaimed Cloud, but Sephiroth was already leaving the room. He sighed dejectedly, looking at the mass pile of dirty dishes. "Owie, my hand…" he said, just now realizing the throbbing pain in his left hand. "Well… it can't hurt _that_ much…"

He picked up the closest plate, grabbed the sponge, and cautiously stuck the plate into the water. As guessed, it stung pretty bad.

"Ah!" yelped Cloud quickly pulling away from the sink. "Ow… Exactly how much bleach lemon did he use…! That hurt…!" Cloud sighed resignedly, and went back to washing, trying hard to ignore the pain that came with washing the dishes.

**Meanwhile, over with Rufus…**

"There are so many new things I can do now…" said Rufus to himself, sitting at his desk in his office. "Especially this new program… If we can somehow harness the power of the Lifestream in this program… I can do it. I know exactly how to do it…"

He was writing down a new program. It was only halfway through development, but it would be a massive, terrible program, one that would take the Lifestream's power and give it to a SOLDIER. It had more deadly effects then the BERSERK, and it would force the SOLDIER to use all power he has at maximum rate. Hence the name of the program, MAXIMUM.

"After I finish this program, every single SOLDIER will be ultimately powerful… Nothing can stop them… I'll show the world just exactly what Shinra Company can do…" With an evil smirk to himself, Rufus got back to work on his program.

**With Zack…**

"…oh, so they did find out before that…" said Zack to himself, checking his e-mail. "…The old shachoo wasn't exactly the kind-hearted leader, but even I would rather have him then Rufus as shachoo… Rufus makes shachoo look like a kind, gentle being…"

**_To: zack(underscore)wolf(underscore)lover(at-symbol)yahoo(dot)com_**

_**From: shinra(underscore)electric(underscore)company(at-symbol)shinra(dot)company(dot)com**_

_**Tseng ran a sweep on all the SOLDIER's programming, on Rufus's orders apparently. And guess what he discovered. Cloud Strife with an illegal program. You know that wings aren't allowed for SOLDIERs. It doesn't matter if Cloud is Sephiroth's clone. Sephiroth has…special privileges, as you well know.**_

_**You're the lead programmer here at Shinra, so I'll let you deal with the program. Get rid of it, and make sure nothing else…funny, happens. Our research gets father and farther everyday, and nothing will stop it. **_

_**Shachoo no Shinra Company**_

Zack narrowed his eyes slightly. "I wonder why Cloud wasn't at Nibelheim when Tifa and I got there…? What did Sephiroth do or say? I'll find out later on today when I can see Cloud…"  
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**Well, here we go… the End of Season 1! YES!  
Muses: **Yes!  
**Well, see you in season two of "Life as a SOLDIER"!  
Mario: **Wow, we're like a TV show… or an anime!  
**Yes, we are! See you in a bit!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Well, hello season two of "Life as a SOLDIER". But was that absolutely necessary?

**A/N: **Yes, it absolutely was! It gives it an anime-sort of feel to it, don't you think? Besides, the readers like the idea, right?  
**Readers: **…  
**Muses: **…  
**Me: **Right, let's cut to the chase! Season two of "Life as a SOLDIER" continues now! Read on!  
**Chapter Thirty-Six: Reigns of a Dark Mind! The New Shachoo's Rules**  
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Cloud was sleeping soundly when Zack entered his room the next morning. "Cloud?" he asked, coming over to Cloud.

Cloud stirred a little and rolled over, continuing to sleep.

"…oh. Had a long day with Sephiroth, did we?" asked Zack, sitting down at the edge of the bed. "I heard about that… It really does make me wonder why he wanted to train _you_ out of all the SOLDIERs here…" Zack sighed. "It must be early in the morning, I'm talking to a sleeping person…"

"…" went Cloud, opening his eyes a little. "…Zack?" he asked.

"Oh, good morning… Did I wake you?" asked Zack.

"Yeah…you did," mumbled Cloud, sitting up and yawning.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Zack apologetically. "Go ahead and go back to sleep, it's too early to be waking up."

"No, no, it's all right," said Cloud, stretching greatly. "I--I--" Cloud heaved an enormous yawn. "I stayed up all night… I didn't get to sleep until 4 AM… What time is it?"

"Almost 6," said Zack.

"…no…"

"No?" repeated Zack curiously. "What do you mean 'no'? We don't have to be up until 8. You can sleep until then."

"No, I have to get up at six from now on," said Cloud groggily, rubbing his eyes. "Sephy says that training starts bright and early."

"What kind of…" Zack trailed off, noticing Cloud's left hand. "What happened to your glove? And why do you have a bandage wrapped around it?"

"It's part of Sephy's training," said Cloud, looking at the left hand as though he just discovered it. "Who bandaged it…? I know I didn't…"

"How did you cut your hand?" asked Zack.

"I didn't, Sephy made a slit on it," answered Cloud, getting out of bed slowly.

"He-- He what! Why did he make a slit in your hand?" asked Zack in surprise. "That's not a proper way to train people!"

"He slit my left hand and told me to wash the dishes with bleach lemon water… He said it was for pain endurance…"

"Pain endurance!" repeated Zack in more surprise. "That's uncalled for! I've never heard of training techniques like that!"

"I didn't get anything to eat yesterday, either," said Cloud quietly, walking towards the window to open the curtains. "Sephy said I had to learn to resist hunger and thirst…"

"That-That's not training! That's…practically torture!" Zack softened his gaze and walked over to Cloud. "Cloud, what exactly did Sephiroth say to you? Did he give any reason why he wanted to train you personally?"

Cloud closed his eyes, thinking about it. "Hmm… Something about wanting to see something special about me, like you always say…"

"Like I always say…?" repeated Zack. _Oh… I think I get it now…_ "Cloud, maybe we--"

"Sephy bandaged my hand, now I remember," said Cloud, almost vaguely, lifting his left hand so he could look at it. "He said that he'll try to be more careful…"

"Cloud, you must really be tired," said Zack. "How about you take the day off? You really need the sleep! Look, you're getting raccoon eyes!"

Cloud smiled up at Zack. "But I can't… Sephy, he says we'll train everyday, starting at 6... I'd better go down to the training hall, or he'll be angry…"

"I could speak to him for you, Cloud. There's no need for you to have to push yourself so hard. Not even Sephiroth has to make you train and such all night and expect you to be up and about at 6!"

"Actually, I do expect it," said Sephiroth.

Zack jumped and whirled around. "Se--Sephiroth? Where did you come from! Don't sneak up on us like that!"

Sephiroth looked mildly surprised. "I did knock," he said.

"Of--Of course," said Zack. "You just surprised me!"

"Oh, sorry about that," said Sephiroth, not looking sorry at all as he turned to Cloud. "Glad you managed to get up on time. But now we have more training to do. Let's go."

"Okay," said Cloud, following Sephiroth out of the room sleepily.

"But-- wait!" called Zack, rushing out of the room to follow them. "Shouldn't you get Cloud something to eat at least? Look, he's swaying on the spot!"

"Not--Not really," disagreed Cloud, even though he was indeed swaying a little. "Really, Zack, I'll be fine."

"But--"

"For goodness sake, Cloud said he'll be fine," said Sephiroth in exasperation. "Can you trust me for once? Cloud is safe in my hands, even if it causes him a little pain."

Zack bit his lip. _Yes, I do have a feeling that Cloud will be safe with you…but still, I can't help but feel a sense of foreboding. Like…there's something else you want of Cloud… _Zack sighed resignedly, and said to Cloud, "All right, if you say so. Just be careful, all right?"

Cloud looked up at Zack, then went a little red, looking at the floor shyly. "I'll be careful… Thanks, Zack."

Zack stood at the top of the stairs, watching Cloud and Sephiroth go down the stairs together. _…that's unusual,_ thought Zack suddenly, _for Sephiroth to take so much interest in another SOLDIER… It really makes me wonder why Sephiroth helped Cloud clear his name…_ Zack looked up, thinking about the last time Sephiroth had done something for Cloud. He half-smiled, turning to walk back to his room. _I wonder if it's something like…?_

**With Cloud…**

Cloud followed Sephiroth all the way down to the training hall. "Are we going to practice fighting today?" he asked.

"Yeah, something like that," said Sephiroth. He entered the training hall and held the door open for Cloud. "Come on in, we have a little bit to discuss."

Cloud blinked, and walked inside. "What is it?"

"Do you know how dangerous it is to bring emotions to the battlefield?"

"…what?" asked Cloud. "What do you mean?"

"I can't help but remember how…ah, emotionally you reacted to death that day so long ago…"

Cloud looked down and didn't answer.

"Yes, the way you were so horrified, the way you exclaimed that it's not right… Emotions such as those can get you killed here."

"I don't get it," said Cloud in confusion, not looking up.

"Later on today, Rufus, our beloved new shachoo, will hold an assembly that will tell all of Shinra Company what we can expect while he reigns. I know Rufus; he'll definitely not want his SOLDIERs, Turks, and even his scientists to feel emotions. Rather, he'd want them to just keep their mouth shut and follow orders. You can't protest at all."

"But if you do that…"

"You seem so shy and quiet, yet even you can get a little emo," said Sephiroth, "and that's not a good thing. We have to fix that."

"What did you have in mind?" asked Cloud, looking up at Sephiroth cautiously.

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud with something like an evil grin. "Oh, I have much in mind." he walked around behind Cloud, kneeling down suddenly and putting an arm around him. "Hah! Like so! How do you react when someone does this?"

Cloud gasped in surprise, blushing wildly. "A-Ah! Get--Get away from me!"

"Oh, get away from me," repeated Sephiroth mockingly. "Yes, I'm sure if I was an attack, I'd release you right away." He tightened the hold on Cloud. "But for some reason, I have a feeling that if Zack did this to you, you wouldn't mind so much, would you?"

"Wha-- That's none of your business!" said Cloud, shaking his head, blushing still.

"It's not?" asked Sephiroth. "As I said, you can get very emotional." he raised his other arm and gave Cloud's cheek a stroke. "And if Zack did that to you?"

Blushing greatly, Cloud struggled a little. "N-No, I don't feel like telling you! Please let me go!"

"Huh," scoffed Sephiroth with a smile. "If you say so." he released Cloud and gave him a hard shove to the ground.

"Ow!" cried Cloud in surprise as he hit the ground. "What was that for!"

"To check your reaction," said Sephiroth. "You were bullied a lot before you came to Shinra, right? How long ago was it?"

"I… Back in Nibelheim, I was bullied sometimes… But I don't want to tell anyone about that…!"

"…why not?" asked Sephiroth.

"They're…not stories I want a whole lot of people knowing…"

"What, and I'm suddenly 'a whole lot of people'?" asked Sephiroth indignantly. "It does sting to know that your friends don't trust you. Seriously."

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth. "…no, I didn't mean it like that. I--I'm sorry, Sephy…" he stood up. "But… I really don't want to tell anyone. Not Zack, and not even Tifa. It's nothing on you or anyone else…"

"Hmm…if you say so," said Sephiroth. "…" he kneeled down again so he could be face-to-face with Cloud. "Cloud?" he asked.

"Uh…yes, Sephy?" asked Cloud.

"What kind of things do you treasure above all else?"

"Treasure?" repeated Cloud curiously with a tilt of his head.

"Yes, Cloud, what kind of things? Are they things like…this?" In one swift movement, Sephiroth had snatched away the black ribbon that was tied around Cloud's neck.

"…! No, give that back!" cried Cloud, reaching for the ribbon.

"Oh, so you do treasure this item?" asked Sephiroth, waving the black ribbon around, taunting Cloud to try to grab for it. "How bad do you want it, huh, huh?" he asked.

After a few vain attempts to retrieve the ribbon, Cloud yowled whiningly, "Give it!"

Sephiroth smirked. "No, I don't think I will… Maybe I'll hold on to this for a while…"

"But you can't!" protested Cloud. "Zack gave that ribbon to me! I really do treasure that ribbon!"

Sephiroth ignored Cloud on purpose, pretending to admire the black ribbon. "This is a really pretty ribbon… I'm sure it'd go greatly with a few vases in my room…"

"Please don't take that ribbon!" said Cloud. "I don't want Zack to think I lost it or something. He gave it to me because…"

"Because?" asked Sephiroth.

"…" Cloud looked around with a small smile on his face. "He…he said I was his birthday gift to him… That I'm really special to him…"

"And let me guess, hearing him say that makes you feel really warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?" Cloud nodded, and Sephiroth smirked. "Well, then we'll see how well you do without your little ribbon. I think I'll keep it for a while."

"You ca--" Cloud cut himself off as Sephiroth stuffed the black ribbon under his shirt.

"You desperate for it now?" asked Sephiroth with a smirk. He patted his shirt. "Well, come and get it, big boy," he taunted.

"Uh…y-you just…" stammered Cloud.

"Let's see how well you do without your most treasured item," said Sephiroth. "For the time being. But for now, it's time to go to the assembly for the naming of the new shachoo."

"…? Already?" asked Cloud. "How long have we been here?"

"Eh, long enough," shrugged Sephiroth. "Come on, let's go together."

Cloud followed Sephiroth to the assembly room. _Wow, I wonder what happened to the time? It can't have gone by that fast…_

They arrived into the overly crowded assembly room. SOLDIERs, Turks, and scientists were all mixed together. Apparently, the naming and new rules of the new shachoo was the biggest event of Shinra Company history since the first shachoo got named.

Rufus was at the front of the assembly room, looking over everyone in the room. _Huh…and you thought I couldn't handle this,_ he thought with an evil smile. _This will indeed be a grand company once I'm through with it… My grand wonderful reign has begun…_

Cloud looked around. "I don't see Zack anywhere…"

"Zack?" repeated Sephiroth. "What, and I'm not good enough to sit by you? Zack is good enough to sit by you, but I'm not?"

"No, that's not what I--" started Cloud.

"Besides, he's sitting with his friends over there," Sephiroth pointed out, pointing to the front of the room.

Cloud looked over there with a sad sigh.

"There are no empty spots near him. And besides…" Sephiroth looked down at Cloud with sad eyes. "Aren't we friends too?"

Cloud stopped and looked up at Sephiroth. "…Sephy…" Cloud smiled. "Yes, we're friends too. I'm sorry to make you feel left out."

"Good!" exclaimed Sephiroth. "Come on, let's go find a seat over here." Sephiroth took Cloud to the back of the assembly room. "I'm sure we'll get a good view of the shachoo here!"

"Yeah," agreed Cloud. He blinked and looked up at Sephiroth. _…? Is it just me…? Or does it seem like Sephy has a much, much warmer gleam in his eyes…? I wonder what put him in such a good mood?_

The room all quieted as Rufus stepped up to the mike. "…is this thing on?" the audience could hear him muttering, tapping the microphone a few times. "Good…" he cleared his throat and started to talk. "The terrible murder of my father is a sad memory indeed," he said.

_A sad memory,_ repeated Cloud to himself. _Sure, sure, don't mention the fact that you _framed_ me for his murder…_

"One day would be a time for me to take over the company. It just happened sooner then any of us anticipated. But here I stand, as the new shachoo of the company. Father had… many great ideas for this company. I am pleased to say that I am more then ready to fulfill this ambitions, as well as some plans and ideas of my own. With me at the reigns of this company, we will see a bright, shining new future."

The audience applauded the first part of Rufus's speech. Cloud looked around, and noticed that a few people weren't applauding either; rather, they were talking amongst themselves. _I wonder what they're saying…?_

Rufus let the audience silence themselves on their own time with a self satisfied smirk. When they quieted, he continued. "There are also a few new rules I'd like to apply, and a few old ones I'd like to get rid of. First off, a new rule I'd like to apply, particularly to SOLDIERs."

All the SOLDIERs in the room shifted in their seats.

Rufus smiled. "Be prepared for anything. You never know when the unexpected horrors of your past will come back to haunt you…"

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, who seemed to know what Rufus meant. _Well, I don't get it,_ he thought to himself, looking to the front of the room again. _Is it supposed to be some sort of veiled threat for us SOLDIERs…?_

"As for the Turks," continued Rufus, "I'd like you all to cut time researching in half and pay more attention to your battle training. Research is good and all, but you need to keep in shape for any mission or assignment."

Cloud glanced around at all the Turks that were in the room, and he spotted the 5 Turks he accidentally eavesdropped on once. _It's them… I wonder if they ever found out the secret to Jenova's 'actual life'… or is it all over, and have they moved on to bigger things?_

"And finally, the scientists," said Rufus. "I have many, many new programs and such I'd like you to test and develop. You'll be pretty busy when I tell you what I've discovered… in person, of course."

The scientists muttered among themselves; Hojo, Reeve, and Lucrecia were a few rows ahead of Cloud, but he couldn't hear what they were muttering. _I wonder what those scientists will do this time…? And… ! Is Reeve holding a stuffed doll!_

"And… as for the old rules. The only ones I want to get rid of are the two-week visits. They only delay the work we do here, and I don't want any of you distracted on other thoughts other then how to improve yourselves and Shinra Company. And the other old rule is that one about when the day begins and ends. From now own, you all are to get up at 6:00 AM sharp, 7-days a week. The only days we take off are holidays and every Sunday during summer."

Everyone started murmuring about this. "No more half-day Wednesday and Saturdays…!" hissed Sephiroth. "I never saw this coming…"

"You didn't?" asked Cloud quietly. "Will the new rules affect our training?"

"No, not really," said Sephiroth. "But… I wonder if that means you can only visit with your Chocobo on holidays and summer Sundays… Pheh," scoffed Sephiroth.

"As the new shachoo of this company, I'd like to say that I'll do absolutely everything I can to keep Shinra up and running forever." Rufus bowed his head a little. "Everyone will do their best, for I shall be doing mine. Thank you for giving me this chance to prove myself worthy of following my fathers footsteps."

The audience applauded again. Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, then looked forward to Zack. _Zack looks pretty distressed… I wonder if he knows something I don't,_ thought Cloud, noticing that Zack was on his laptop. _Does Zack imagine the horror that Rufus mentioned…?_  
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**Heh heh. Let's leave it there for now. Getting pretty good, huh? Good job for the first episode (chapter) of Season 2 of "Life as a SOLDIER":3 See you next chapter!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **…let's continue.

**A/N: **Okay, we will! Really, Disclaimer, you should try to sound more excited. It keeps the readers interested! Got it? Good, let's go!  
**Chapter Thirty-Seven: That Calm and Collected State of Mind Called Chaos**  
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It was a shining bright and early Wednesday morning, albeit a darkish winter morning. In almost every single room that had alarm clocks, the clock struck 6:00 AM on the dot.

BZZT BZZZT BZZT

BAM BAAM BAM

RING RIING RIIING

DINGLE RINGLE LING

MY HEART SHINES ONLY FOR YOUUUUUUU

Groans and sighes of weariness were heard everywhere, along with the shuffling of feet to get to breakfast on time and get ready for training and such. This new rule applied to everyone; SOLDIERs, Turks, scientists. Everyone. You had to feel sorry for them. Getting up at 6 AM…

"Good morning, Cloud!" called Zack cheerfully, opening the door to Cloud's room. "My, isn't it a lovely morning?"

Cloud blinked awake, and stared up sleepily at Zack. "Morning…? Already…?"

"Yep, it is," said Zack, opening the curtains.

"Don't tell me you're a morning person," yawned Cloud as he sat up.

"How long have you known me? It took you that long to figure that out, did it?" asked Zack with a smile. "The morning is so refreshing! Just look out the window and take a HUGE deep breath! You'll feel refreshed and ready to go! Try it, Cloud!"

Cloud looked out the window, where it was still kinda darkish outside. "Not even the sun has risen," he muttered, getting out of bed reluctantly. "Why can't we wake up when the sun does?"

"Because the sun has it's own schedule," said Zack matter-of-factly. "If we all tried to follow the pattern it follows, our lives would be truly chaotic indeed. The sun is a hard thing to keep up with. And if we did follow the sun's schedule for waking up and sleeping, it would mean no more late-night things to do."

Cloud stared up at Zack, then yawned again. "It's too early in the morning for thinking like that…"

"It is?" asked Zack. "Sorry. I can get so carried away when I remember things Aeris told me…"

"Aeris told you that about the sun?" asked Cloud in disbelief.

"Yeah, she tells me many, many things about the natural world! It really amazes me at how the natural world works! How nature knows what to do, and when to do it!"

"…oh," said Cloud, rubbing his eyes. _It is too early for thinking like that,_ thought Cloud bitterly. _He's had too much time to think about Aeris… How can I get him to pay more attention to _me

"Sephiroth is on his way here, by the way," said Zack. "It appears he's not exactly a morning person either."

"Sephy's coming?" asked Cloud. "What time is it?"

"It's officially 6:13 AM!" announced Zack proudly.

"Wow, Sephy's 13 minutes late," said Cloud with a smile.

"It's too -beep-ing early in the morning," muttered someone behind the door, and it opened to reveal a very-tired looking Sephiroth. "Oh, so you're awake," he asked irritably. "Good, come on."

"What? We have to leave right away?" asked Zack sadly. "What about breakfast?"

Sephiroth looked back at Zack. "We?" he repeated. "What we? I assumed I was personally training Cloud, not Zack."

"…but, even he needs to eat," said Zack. "Come on, be nice, Sephiroth!"

"I _am_ being nice," insisted Sephiroth. "Trust me, you'll be thanking me on bended knee one day when you see how much I'll improve Cloud." He grabbed Cloud's arm an dragged him along. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Awa! Hey, let me walk!" yowled Cloud in surprise.

Zack blinked and looked out the door. _What kind of training is that?_ thought Zack with a sigh. _Sephiroth sure has weird ways of training people…if this is his training style… Oh, dear, I hope Cloud will be all right…_

**Meanwhile, with the Turks (at 6:19 AM)…**

"Everyone, come on!" called Tseng, walking in and out of Turks rooms, waking up any sleepys. "If you're not awake when I enter your room, I'll send the Chocobo on you!" He soon came to Elena's room, and opened it. "Elena! Come on, you heard me! I'm serious."

Elena lifted a sleepy head. "Wake up time?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," said Tseng. He walked out of Elena's room and went to Rude's room, which was next to Elena's room. He entered the room and saw that Rude was already awake, tying a tie to his suit. "Good, Rude, you're already awake."

"Yes, I got up just five minutes before the alarm," said Rude, putting on his sunglasses.

Tseng sighed. "It's not safe to wear sunglasses in the dark morning," he said warningly, leaving the room before Rude can answer. He went to the room across from Rude's room, which was Reno's room. He opened the door and called, "Reno! Come on, why aren't you awake yet?"

"Cause it's only 6:23 AM," said Reno sleepily. "I only wake up at 6:30..."

"Not anymore you do," said Tseng. "Remember the new schedule! We have to be up at 6! Wake up," he repeated, leaving the room. He woke up several more Turks and then reached Vincent's room. "Vincent, are you awake yet?" he asked, opening the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake," yawned Vincent. "I'm just not used to getting up so early…"

"Well, you'd better get used to it," said Tseng.

"Why, what time did YOU get up?" asked Vincent, curious rather then irritable.

"I got up at 6 AM, on the dot," said Tseng. "I'm always--"

"Yeah, you're always strict to the rules and plans, I know. Everybody knows," said Vincent, standing up.

"Yes, I am," said Tseng, leaving the room. After waking up the rest of the Turks, he made his way to the cafeteria. _I wonder how chaotic breakfast will be when all of us have to share the cafeteria… Good thing it's so huge…_

**Meanwhile, with the scientists (at 6:31 AM)…**

There were only about 200 scientists there, and all of them were awake. In a manner of speaking.

"Lucrecia, give Reeve another slap, will you?" asked Hojo. "We all should be getting ready to leave for breakfast.

"Yes, Hojo-sama," sighed Lucrecia sleepily, rubbing one eye while giving Reeve a slap with the other. "Reeve, quit nodding off."

"Aah!" yelled Reeve, waving the stuffed doll he was holding wildly. "Are we under attack! Quick, send the SOLDIERs, send the Turks, send the--" in his sleepy-panicked state, he fell off his chair.

"No, we're not under attack, we're getting ready for breakfast," said Hojo. "Reeve, why are you holding that doll around anyway? You've been carrying that thing around for the past week! You gonna give it to someone as a Christmas gift or what?"

"This?" asked Reeve, holding up the doll. "Oh, no, I got a brilliant idea for this doll!"

"Do you now?" asked Lucrecia, walking to the coffee table and pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, bring some over here," said Hojo. Lucrecia muttered something and grabbed two more cups. "Anyway, what's the brilliant idea with the doll?"

"Can't tell you, it's a secret," said Reeve, sitting back in his chair. "Cause it's only a hunch, Hojo-sama. And you know how Rufus is with hunches."

Hojo nodded agreement. Rufus was exactly like his father: it was either you have a brilliant plan, or get out of my office until you can tell me the idea. "Well, fine. Let me know when you have this brilliant idea formulized and such."

"It'll be the best thing to happen to Shinra since we invented SOLDIERs!"

"Here, here, and here," said Lucrecia, giving a cup of coffee to Hojo, Reeve, and herself. "Thank god for whoever invented coffee…"

Reeve and Hojo nodded agreement, and all three clank their coffee cups together and drank the glass all in one gulp. "Ah… coffee, good," said Hojo, standing up. "Let's get going to the cafeteria now." Reeve and Lucrecia nodded, and they both along with Hojo and the scientists walked to the cafeteria.

**In the cafeteria…**

"It's an utter state of chaos…" muttered Tseng to himself, sitting at a table with his four Turks. The cafeteria was full of SOLDIERs, Turks, and scientists now, and some of them were not morning people at all.

"Hey, get out of my way, SOLDIER, I was here first!" snarled one Turk to a SOLDIER.

"No, I was here first," argued the SOLDIER.

"Both of you out of MY way, I got here a few seconds before you!" shouted a scientist.

"I deserve to get breakfast first, you prissy pansy scientist!" said the SOLDIER. "I work hard to make sure you and those stupid Turks are protected!"

"Excuse me!" asked the Turk. "I believe it's us -beeps- of Shinra who do all the dirty work around here! WE are the ones actually out there, risking our necks for Shinra Company!"

"It's not just you SOLDIERs and Turks!" said the scientist. "We scientists are the ones who truly do all the work! You SOLDIERs wouldn't be what you are today if it wasn't for our research and results! And you Turks wouldn't have a job if it wasn't us scientists who developed things for you to research!"

"You -beep-!"

"What! HOW DARE YOU!"

A huge fight broke out, several big fights in fact.

Tseng flopped his head onto the table. "I wonder if Rufus knew what he was doing when he made that rule…"

"Wow, tough fight," said Reno.

"Yeah, they'll have to teach us that one," agreed Rude. Vincent just grunted something and drank some coffee.

"Here, Tseng, have some of my coffee!" said Elena happily, sliding Tseng a thermos of her coffee. "It's fresh from India so I thought you'd like some!"

"India?" asked Tseng, lifting his head.

"Yeah, where you're from!"

"But India's in the RealWorld, not here," said Tseng. "And I'm not from India."

"You're not?" asked Elena in confusion. "But, you have a red dot on your head," she said, poking the red dot that was on Tseng's head.

Tseng sat up straighter so Elena couldn't reach it. "No touching the red mark," he said sternly. "I had this ever since I was born."

"But the research I did yesterday in my free time, I researched India and learned that Indians have those red dots on their heads too…"

Tseng sighed, and took Elena's thermos of coffee. "I'm not from India," he said, drinking the coffee.

"Yes, we heard that," said Elena. "Will you tell us where you're from then?"

"No," said Tseng, putting the thermos down.

"Gee," said Elena, taking her thermos back.

"Whoa!" shouted Reno and Rude together as the fight got more intense.

Tseng flopped his head onto the table again, and Vincent asked, "Is Tseng showing emotion? I've never seen him so irritable."

"Probably," said Elena, looking into her thermos. "Hey, you drank all of my Indian coffee… I had it on special import…"

**Meanwhile, over to where Zack was sitting…**

Zack sat down, awaiting the line to thin a little before getting breakfast. _What a distasteful state of chaos,_ he thought.

His two friends were enjoying the chaos, though. "Wow, Zack, are you sure we can't go join?" asked one SOLDIER. "It looks like fun!"

"Yeah, and it'll be good experience!" agreed the other SODLIER.

"No, no, we have to set a good example for the lower-class SOLDIERs," said Zack. "They've been programmed to follow exactly what the first-class SOLDIERs do, and both of you are newly-applied first-class SOLDIERs now, remember?"

"Yeah…" said the two SOLDIERs together.

"So, we sit here patiently for the line to thin a little, then go get breakfast."

"Okay," said one SOLDIER sadly.

"But it still looks like fun," said the other SOLDIER sadly.

Zack looked around the room. _I wonder how Cloud and Sephiroth are doing… Now that I'm seeing the chaotic state this room's in, I'm almost glad Sephiroth decided to skip breakfast and go train Cloud elsewhere… Then again, if they all saw Sephiroth here, they might behave…_ Zack sighed and checked the progress of the line. "Still not whittled down yet…"

"Can't we just get in line now?" asked the other SOLDIER. "How long till breakfast is over?"

"We get until 8:30 AM," answered Zack, checking the clock on the wall. "It's 6:50 AM now, so we get about…two hours and forty minutes, I think."

"So let's get in line now," said one SOLDIER. "Come on, Zack…"

"Please?" asked both of them, giving Zack the puppy eyes.

"Oh, all right," said Zack with a smile, standing up. "Let's get in line then."

"Whee!" cheered the two SOLDIERs, hurrying with Zack to the line.

_Well, waiting in line gives me ample time to think, _thought Zack. _I received an e-mail yesterday from Rufus… He's developing a new program, one he'll test on Cloud… But he wouldn't tell me what it was called or what it does. When I get the program to test…_ Zack it his lip in worry. _But according to what Rufus told me in the e-mail…the program will use the power of the Lifestream and give it to a SOLDIER, namely Cloud… But can anyone truly use that power? Can anyone truly handle it…? What can I expect in the future for Cloud…?  
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**What can we expect? HAH! You can expect that this fanfic won't take a dark turn (not yet), and will continue in a semi-serious-half-funny style. Really. But dark WILL return! MWAAHAHAHAAHAH! See you next chapter!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **For a while, we're going for a more light-hearted atmosphere? Seriously?

**A/N: **Yes, we are! For a chapter or two. :3 Read on!

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: A New Training Style**  
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While breakfast was in a chaotic state, Cloud and Sephiroth were training of else where.

"How good are you with your weapon?" asked Sephiroth.

"Uhm…good enough, I suppose…" said Cloud uncertainly.

"Hmm. Well, let's find out, shall we?" asked Sephiroth, summoning his sword.

"…! You grabbed your sword out of midair!" exclaimed Cloud. "How did you do that?"

"It's a new trick I learned," grinned Sephiroth. "I no longer have to carry this sword around." he waved it around. "You'll learn how to do that soon enough," said Sephiroth. "But for now, we fight!"

"Again?" asked Cloud sadly. "I don't think I have the energy to fight."

"It'll make you stronger," assured Sephiroth. "That's what you came here to be, right?"

Cloud hesitated, then drew out the first sword. "Okay, then… What kind of moves will you teach me?"

"I think it's things we'll teach ourselves." Sephiroth took a few paces forward. "Can you fly and fight at the same time?"

"No, not yet… It was one of the things Zack told me I should learn the day he programmed wings for me. There are many things I have yet to learn about flying."

"Good. I'll teach you all those, and I'll be learning right along with you!" Sephiroth leaped high into the air and hovered there with his one wing. "Let's fight up here!"

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth and nodded slowly. "Ok-Okay, if you say so…" Cloud jumped up to meet Sephiroth in midair. "You sure we'll have enough space in here to fight in the air?" asked Cloud. "There's not a lot of space here for much flying."

"That's what makes it more exciting!" Without warning, Sephiroth zoomed to Cloud with a quick striking attack.

"Awa!" wailed Cloud in surprise. He was flung back and hit a wall. "Ow! Could you at least give me a warning! You scared me!"

"It's all about the lessons you could've been learning! Being always ready!" Sephiroth swung his sword around again. "Be always on your guard, remember?"

"Yes, I remember that--" Cloud was cut off as Sephiroth charged at Cloud again. "Whoa!" he yelled, ducking to avoid being slashed by Masamune. Quickly, he defended with his sword from Sephiroth's second attack.

"Your reactions are slow, that needs some work, but you'll improve. Let's see how you do now that you're on your guard!" Sephiroth flew around and charged quickly at Cloud.

Now Cloud was ready for him; he quickly turned and deflected Sephiroth's attack. "You mean like that?"

"Yes, like that!" Sephiroth backed up a little. "Are you familiar with feints, Cloud?"

"Faints?" asked Cloud.

Sephiroth half-scoffed-half-snorted. "No, apparently not… Let me show you them then." Sephiroth raised Masamune a little, looking as though he was deciding where to attack. Within a few seconds, he flew at Cloud again, aiming at Cloud's left shoulder…or so Cloud thought. As Cloud got ready to defend against that attack, Sephiroth quickly changed course and whammed down onto Cloud's right shoulder.

"Oof!" grunted Cloud as he hit the ground. "Ow, I didn't see that coming."

"Of course you didn't, Cloud," said Sephiroth from somewhere high up. "That was a feint. It's a tricky move to spot. But watch your oppent carefully. He'll usually give you a hint of some sort if he's readying his weapon. Watch the eyes, and watch for any certain body movements."

"Body movements? Such as?" asked Cloud, standing up and dusting himself off.

"If his left foot twitches, he might be preparing to attack your right flank, and vice versa. Or if he lowers his weapon, he might attack somewhere above the waist. Same as if he raises his weapon slightly. Got it? Those are just the basics, we'll have plenty of things to look over."

"I see," said Cloud, joining Sephiroth in the air, writing down what Sephiroth said on his right arm.

Sephiroth stared. "…uh, what are you doing? I didn't say write notes."

Cloud looked up from his notes. "…? No, no, I always write down notes, they help me remember."

"Well, I have a strict no-note policy," said Sephiroth. "You have to learn to use your brain once in a while. Wash those notes off, and meet me in the kitchen."

"The kitchen?" repeated Cloud despairingly. "Does that mean…?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Sephiroth. "If you say 'ow' over things like being slammed into the ground, then you are still vulnerable to pain. You have to learn to ignore it!"

Cloud sighed resignedly. "All right, Sephy…"

"Good, let's go." Sephiroth landed on the ground and looked up at Cloud. "You coming?"

"Yes, I'm coming," called Cloud, landing down next to Sephiroth, and followed him to the kitchen.

**Meanwhile, with the Turks…**

All the Turks were taking turns running 100 laps, 50 Turks taking the 1-mile track at a time.

"Vincent, go faster then that," called Tseng, not looking up from the book he was reading. "Elena, look up when you run. Rude, don't breath too loudly, you have to pace yourself. And Reno, you're running with your tongue out again."

"Aw, shit!" gasped Reno as he ran by Tseng.

"I'm trying!" gasped Rude as he ran by Tseng.

"My head is up!" gasped Elena as she ran by Tseng.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" gasped Vincent as he ran by Tseng.

Tseng looked at all them as they ran by, then shook his head, returning to his book. "Honestly, they only have 5 laps done and they're already exhausted… I've always told them that they work too hard on research."

Other Turks ran by. And more.

"Come on, it's just 95 more laps!" yelled Tseng. "Work harder then that!"

All the 50 Turks running all shouted something, continuing to run.

"Really… And we have to assign them new weapons and go over the newer weapons with Scarlet today… Sigh, this is going to be a long day," sighed Tseng, closing the book, seeing as he finished it.

Reno, Rude, Elena, and Vincent were coming around the corner again. "Hi, Tseng," they gasped as they ran by.

"This is going to be a long day," sighed Tseng again, putting the book away and pulling out another one. "In the time it took them to run six laps, I finished 3 books. They're getting very slow."

**58 minutes later…**

The 50 Turks who were running laps had finally finished, and stepped off the mile-long track to admit the next 50. The five Turks assigned to Tseng crawled slowly to him. "Tseng, we did it," they gasped.

Tseng lowered his book to glance down at his Turks. "It took you 1 hour and 2 minutes, you guys. How slow you are. What will you do if you have to chase after someone?"

"We'll shoot them!" yowled Reno, flopping his head onto the ground.

"And if we needed to interrogate them?"

"We'll…uh…We'll get the tranquilizers!" yowled Rude, flopping his head onto the ground.

"And if it was a SOLDIER who escaped? Tranquilizers don't effect them."

"Then we'll send the SOLDIERs after them!" yowled Vincent, flopping his head onto the ground.

"Hmm… And if all the above fail, Elena?"

"It means that our excuses aren't working, and we'd better get our butts off the ground and get ready to run 100 laps again!" yowled Elena, flopping her head onto the ground.

"Exactly," said Tseng. "Get up and get ready to run."

"If only we could make YOU run 100 laps," said Reno irritably, standing up with the rest. "We'll see how well you do!"

"If I ran 100 laps for you 5, I'd crush your dreams of becoming an extraordinary Turk."

"Oh, really?" asked Rude. "Why don't you try us?"

Tseng lowered his book. "I don't have to prove it, I've already done it while you were complaining. Look up at the timing records."

All the 5 Turks looked up curiously at the timing records. Tseng's name was up on the top of the list, and his time for running 100 laps on a mile-long track read as: 00:00:01.

Reno gaped at the time. "No way…"

Rude gaped at the time. "That's impossible…"

Vincent gaped at the time. "That's impossible to overcome…"

Elena gaped at the time. "Nothing less from Tseng…"

"Which is why I'm the head of the Turks," said Tseng, returning to his book.

"But even you make mistakes!" yowled Reno. "Remember the day when Aeris escaped!"

Tseng lowered the book with a "don't you dare mention what happened" sort of glare of his face.

"Oh, right, sorry. That 'little secret' that we five know of how Aeris escaped. Don't worry, I won't tell a soul!"

Tseng narrowed his eyes, and returned to the book.

Reno sighed, and he and the others sat down on the bench next to Tseng. "Are we really gonna have to run another 100 laps?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," answered Tseng.

"Even if we're exhausted?" asked Rude.

"Yep."

"Even if our legs feel like jelly and can't move very well?" asked Vincent.

"Even that."

"Even if we said we'd rather research endless hours then run another 100 laps?" asked Elena.

"Even if you said that," said Tseng, not looking up from the book.

All four of them started bawling. "YOU'RE EVIL! WAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Tseng shook his head flipping a page. _I think that'll be an extra hour of running and research…for mentioning _that_ day… Sheesh, as if they think I'd actually LET a Shinra prisoner escape…_ Tseng sighed. _Of course I didn't let Aerith escape…_

**Meanwhile, with Cloud…**

Cloud dried off the last of the dishes, stacking them onto the counter. _Boo-hoo… my hand stings horribly… I almost prefer the pain that comes with the stigma…_

_**Flash: Cloud running the heavy rain, but tripping over a rock and landing at the feet of…**_

Cloud winced and rubbed his left arm. _Ouchie, I didn't mean it… I don't want to think about that, it happened so long ago…_

Sephiroth entered the kitchen and observed the work that Cloud did. "Hmm… you missed a spot here," he said.

"I did?" asked Cloud in shock. "Oh, drats… Do I have to rewash it?"

"Yes, afraid so," said Sephiroth. "As a matter of fact…" he "accidentally" knocked something off of an open cupboard, spilling juices and such onto the once-clean dishes. "Why not rewash all of them?"

"That was a mean thing to do," said Cloud with a scowl at Sephiroth. "You seem to love giving me anguish, you know that? First, you show me death that one day, you make me leave Zack for training under you, then you make me wash dishes in bleach-lemon-ized water, then you steal my precious black ribbon, and now you're gonna make me rewash these dishes that YOU made dirty?"

"Yes," said Sephiroth. "Glad you finally caught on. After you rewash those dishes, come meet me in my room. I'll have another pain-resisting lesson in there."

"In your room?" Cloud asked.

"Yes… My room. Hurry up," said Sephiroth, leaving the room.

Cloud stood in shock for a few seconds, then sighed wearily and got back to washing the dishes in the bleach-lemon-ized water.  
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**Aww, next chapter is a WELL of memories! And, enter the most adorable FF7 character of all time (next to Cloud and Kadaj, of course).  
Mario: **What, and Sephiroth isn't cute either?  
**Nah, he's DAMN SEXY HOT!  
Mario: **…  
**Anyway, see you next chapter! And don't forget to review!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Whee goodness. Enter Cait Sith.

**A/N: **Cait Sith is sooooo adorable! I just HAD to add him into our story:3 Let's move on!

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: They Say Our Top-Spy is Like a Cat…Literally**  
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Reeve, this had better be good," said Tseng. It was about lunchtime now, and Reeve skipped lunch to arrange a meeting between him, Hojo, and Tseng.

"This is good," said Reeve, setting a blue-and-white furry stuffed cat-like animal on the table. "Behold, gentlemen, the best spy ever to come to Shinra Company!"

Tseng snorted impatiently. "It's just a doll, Reeve. What can it possibly do?"

"Yes, Reeve, why not tell us about your little spy?" asked Hojo.

Reeve nodded. "Very well," he said, approaching the cat-doll on the table. "Cait Sith," he said, whistling some. "Wake up, good ol' Cait Sith!"

The doll's ear's twitched, and the doll sat up. "What's happening?" asked the doll sleepily, rubbing it's squinty eyes.

Tseng and Hojo stared at the doll. "It--It talked!" exclaimed Tseng.

"THIS is the experiment you've been working on!" demanded Hojo.

"Hey, be nice to Cait Sith," said Reeve. "He's a very resourceful spy, and knows things that not even the wisest could tell us! Isn't that right, Cait Sith?"

"What?" asked Cait Sith, still rubbing his eyes.

"Ahem… Your information, Cait Sith," said Reeve. He smirked. "Why not tell Tseng about something you just recently discovered?"

Cait Sith stared up at Tseng, then brightened some. "Ah! Now I remember!" Cait Sith sat up straighter, fixing the crown on his head. "Tseng, does the name 'Aerith' ring a bell?"

Tseng stared at Cait Sith. "What--What are you getting at?"

Cait Sith grinned and continued, "Isn't 'Aeris' her new name? One to avoid instant recognition? You came up with that name out of the blue to protect her, didn't you? The day she escaped Shinra Company?"

Reeve raised an eyebrow as if to say "See?". Tseng shook his head. "No, no such thing happened. I explained it all the day she escaped, that she--"

"Blah, blah, blah," said Cait Sith with a yawn. "Everybody knows that. What I'm interested in are the stories you never told anyone else. Would you like to tell it? Cause I have it written down, in script format too!" he said proudly, lifting up a sheet of paper with messy handwriting on it.

Hojo glanced at Tseng. "Did you really let Aeris…no, _Aerith_ escape?"

Tseng let out a long sigh. "Why not be a dear and read your little story, Cait Sith? It won't prove anything."

"Oh, it won't?" asked Cait Sith. "What if I said I have pictures?"

"Do--Don't be ridiculous," said Tseng. "I…"

"Ooh… Lost for words, are we?" asked Cait Sith, lifting his paper up. "Pretty unusual, don't you think? You seemed to have a lot of things to say to dear 'Aerith' the day she escaped…" Cait Sith cleared his throat and began to read:

**The Day Aeris (Aerith) Escaped, and How Tseng was Involved**

**Aeris (Aerith): **Tseng? What are you doing here?

**Tseng: **-looks around, then says in a quiet tone- I'm going to set you free.

**Aeris (Aerith): **Oh, Tseng… You'll set me free? How? This place is guarded like a fortress!

**Tseng: **I'm the lead Turk, Aerith… I know every single shortcut out of here. Once I let you out, follow me.

**Aeris (Aerith): **-smiles- You're willing to risk your life to save mine… How brave you are.

**Tseng: **-looks away while unlocking Aeris's (Aerith's) cell door- I--I'm not so brave… It's just that I've known you ever since you were little, and I…won't let Shinra Company put experiments and such on you.

**Aeris (Aerith): **What were they planning on doing with me?

**Tseng: **-hesitates-

**Aeris (Aerith): **Tseng?

**Tseng: **They…were going to torture you. Grind your spirit to the ground. Break you.

**Aeris (Aerith): **-gives a soft gasp of surprise-

**Tseng: **And…I was the one ordered to do it. -opens Aeris's (Aerith's) cell door- Come on, let's go. -holds out a hand-

**Aeris (Aerith): **-smiles and takes Tseng's hand-

**Aeris (Aerith) and Tseng: **-sneak outside of Shinra Company-

**Tseng: **Well, here we are. Hurry, go away, before they notice you're gone!

**Aeris (Aerith): **Will we ever see each other again?

**Tseng: **If we do, it'll be for the first time… Aeris.

**Aeris (Aerith): **Who?  
**Tseng: **Change your name to "Aeris". It's not an easily recognized name, especially when compared to "Aerith". So, just in case, change your name.

**Aeris (Aerith): **Even if you never helped me escape… I know you'd never ever break me, Tseng. Because I--

**Someone in distance: **Hey, she's gone! The Ancient is gone!

**Someone else in distance: **She's gone! The prisoner has escaped! Raise the alarm!

**-alarms start blaring somewhere-**

**Tseng: **-hisses- Quick, Aeris! Get out of here!

**Aeris (Aerith): **I will. Thank you for helping me escape, Tseng. I'll never forget it, even though it pains me to have to leave you…

**Tseng: **-looks away bashfully- Do-Don't talk like that just leave, Aeris.

**Aeris (Aerith): **-smiles, and gives Tseng a kiss on the cheek-

**Tseng: **…!

**Aeris (Aerith): **Please, Tseng… Whenever it's just you and me, call me Aerith.

**Tseng: **Of--Of course.

**Aeris (Aerith): **Good-bye, Tseng, my good friend… I'll see you again! -turns and hurries off-

**Tseng: **Be careful… -quietly- Aerith…

Cait Sith lowered the paper with a self-satisfied air. "Well?" he asked. "Am I not accurate?"

Reeve and Hojo curiously checked Tseng's expression. "Oh!" exclaimed Reeve. "Are you blushing? Ooh, Tseng has a crush on someone!"

Tseng had been staring into space, with a look of half-shock-half-bashfulness on his face. He jumped suddenly. "Wha-- No, I don't…! This story is certainly not true! I'd never let a Shinra prisoner escape! My work always comes first!"

"Then where were you the day Aeris escaped?" asked Hojo. "You weren't at the Turks HQ, and you certainly weren't at your post."

"Dude, your secrets out," said Cait Sith. "Or at least it will be," he added with an evil grin. "It makes me wonder how our new shachoo would react when I tell him the news! Oh, the horrors he'll visit upon you, Tseng!"

Tseng hesitated, and Hojo said, "It's be best to admit the story, Tseng. You know as well as I what 'the horrors' are… Shall I really visit them upon you?"

"…all right," said Tseng wearily. "That…That story Cait Sith told us is…true."

"Oh-hoh!" laughed Cait Sith. "And I bet your wondering how I got my hands on such rare material!"

"Actually, yes," said Tseng. "That story's something I would prefer no-one knew but me and Aerith--Aeris."

"Well, I'm not telling," said Cait Sith, stuffing the paper into a hidden pocket inside his cloak. "This is top secret, need-to-know information."

"I hate to admit it, but he does seem useful as a spy," said Tseng. "I mean, not even the four Turks I hired know the whole story."

"Well, Hojo-sama?" asked Reeve. "Shall I present him to shachoo yet?"

Hojo thought about it for a few seconds. "Well, I say we wait until dinnertime. Let Cait Sith prove his worth a few more times. Maybe this thing about Aeris's escape was sheer dumb luck."

"Oh, I'm stung!" cried Cait Sith melodramatically. "Then would it surprise you to know that _I_ know something about _you_, Hojo-sama!"

Hojo bumped against the table in surprise, and glanced down at the cat doll. "Wha--me?"

"Yeah, you and your little thing you did to the old shachoo's wife? The horror, the drama, the angst, the tragedy, the madness of it all? Do you recall the day you placed Jenova into Miss "Elizabeth" Shinra, Hojo-sama?"

Hojo gaped at Cait Sith. "You--you know the wife's name…!"

"I sure do," said Cait Sith with a proud nod. "I have here the story about that."

"In script format as well?" asked Tseng.

"Nah, it wouldn't be so dramatic, would it?" Cait Sith pulled out two sheets of paper this time. "However, the story format took a bit longer to write, and it's a bit sloppy, but I'm sure it'll be 100 percent accurate nonetheless." Cait Sith cleared his throat and began to read:

**The Day Jenova and Elizabeth Became One, and How Hojo Did It**

Hojo was already finished with creating the first SOLDIER, and had sent Gast away with the baby. _Now when Shachoo gets back in here with his darling wife…Jenova can finally be of use to our company…_

He glanced at a mass pile of green stuff inside a test tube.

"It really is a shame to see you so…unappealing to the eye," said Hojo. "Maybe Miss Shinra will help you improve your looks, she's a fine beauty, I'll admit. Even if she's a bit annoying…"

The mass pile of green stuff seemed to pulse angrily for a split second, and Hojo smirked.

"Oh, angry are we? There's no need to be angry… After all, you came to us first, didn't you? All of those… ah, Cetra called you a calamity, didn't they? Heaven's dark harbinger. They didn't do a good job of sealing you away, huh? All of them, killed in their attempt to stop you, and look at them now… All that's left is little Aerith. Once we can get our hands on her, we'll be in really good hands…"

Footsteps were heard coming down the hallway, and voices that seemed to be arguing. Hojo looked back as the door opened to reveal shachoo and Miss Shinra there. "Darling?" asked Miss Shinra tentatively. "Why do I have to see Hojo? Has he come up with a name yet?"

"That's what we came here to ask," said shachoo. "Well, Hojo?"

Hojo turned around to watch the mass pile of green stuff. "The baby's not with me anymore, I turned him over to Professor Gast. But I'm sure Jenova here has a name decided."

Miss Shinra looked around. "But there's no one here," she said in confusion.

"Oh yes there is," said Hojo with a sideways glance to shachoo. "You'd you like to watch me introduce your wife to Jenova?"

Shachoo grinned. "I would love to."

"What's going on here?" asked Miss Shinra. "Who is this Jenova?"

"Jenova, my dear Miss Shinra, is your future," said Hojo, taking hold of Miss Shinra's wrist and leading her away from shachoo.

"H-Hey, let me go!" she said, trying to pull away from Hojo. "Darling, tell him to stop! He's hurting me!"

Shachoo took a seat and leaned back. "It'll only hurt for a little bit, darling. But trust me, it's for the best."

"What are you going to do to me!" asked Miss Shinra, looking pretty frightened. "Why are you doing this to me, darling!"

"You always said you'd help me and my company in any way you could right?" asked shachoo. Miss Shinra nodded and shachoo made a gesture. "Well, there you go, darling Elizabeth. You can be a body for Jenova."

"But--But I don't want to be a body for this Jenova!" cried Elizabeth, trying to pull away from Hojo again. "I want to be with you!"

Shachoo shrugged. "Can't have everything you want in life. Go ahead and start the process, Hojo."

"With pleasure, sir," said Hojo with a nasty grin, shoving Elizabeth into the tube.

"Oh!" cried Elizabeth in surprise as she hit the ground. She sat up and scooted to the edge of the tube. "What--What is that thing!"

"That is Jenova, Elizabeth, your new best friend. You'll want to get acquainted; you'll be together a long, long time," said shachoo.

Elizabeth gasped in surprise. "No!" she yelled, walking to the edge of the glass and giving it a pound. "Let me out this instant, darling!"

Shachoo gave a nod, and Hojo nodded back, starting the process. "Jenova, sweetheart, you'll want to infuse yourself with Elizabeth Shinra," said Hojo. "You'll truly regret coming to this planet if you don't."

The green mass stirred a little, and Elizabeth gasped in horror at seeing it. "Th-This is really your Jenova…! No, leave me alone! I can't do this!" She backed up against the glass, and let out an anguished yell. "I thought you loved me, darling!"

"This is all I need to see, Hojo," said shachoo with a grin, standing up and turning to leave. "And…by all means, show her no mercy."

Hojo nodded agreement, hitting a few buttons on the controls. "She'll receive none, sir."

"Darling! Darling!" yelled Elizabeth as liquid began to fill the tube. Jenova stirred a bit more, and suddenly rose to take form, almost as if she was trying to mimic Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked back in horror at it, and suddenly, Jenova flew into Elizabeth, merging herself into her. Elizabeth slumped over inside the tube, apparently taking in Jenova.

Hojo grinned evilly as shachoo left the room. "Jenova?" he asked in a mock-sweet voice. "Are you ready to talk to us?"

Elizabeth raised her head slowly, and Hojo could see the changes already. "Ready…to talk," said Elizabeth, though it wasn't her voice exactly. "If you say it like that, then I suppose I am…"

"Do you have anything to say before I fully submerge you into the liquid that will preserve you here in this world?"

Elizabeth opened her eyes, and one eye seemed to have a red glow to it. "Her son, Elizabeth's son… What did you do to him?"

"It's nothing I did," answered Hojo. "It was your cells. That's how you can be of use to us. The condition you have no choice but to agree to, to stay here. Can you cope with that?"

"…you said something about me naming him as if he were my own… But he isn't, is he?"

"When you think about it, he is," answered Hojo. "Why? Did you actually come up with a name?"

Jenova stood up with Elizabeth's body, looking over herself. "This is a rather young body," she commented.

"It's young enough for you to stay alive Jenova. Now, the name you had?"

Jenova stared down at Hojo. "I'll never forget your face," she said. "You…are a truer evil then I'll ever be."

"So you're no calamity after all?" asked Hojo. "Just some innocent passer-by who took a wrong turn somewhere and crash-landed here?"

Jenova looked up. "Something like that…"

"Obviously, the Cetra didn't believe that."

Jenova snorted impatiently. "Those idiots called me a calamity, a harbinger of darkness. I'm no such thing."

"You landed here on a meteor," said Hojo. "It's natural for us humans to assume something's here to destroy us if they crash here on a meteor that destroyed a few cities."

"It was only a few cities," said Jenova. She closed her eyes and thunked her head against the glass. "Only a few…it was an accident…"

"Accident or not, you're Shinra Company property now. Before you're fully submerged in the liquid, do you have a name? I'd hate to be the one to name your son."

Jenova opened her eyes to glare at Hojo. "Yes, I indeed have a name for poor Elizabeth's boy… A name that was the name of someone very dear to me where I come from…"

"And that name is?" asked Hojo.

"…Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth?" repeated Hojo.

"That'll be his name. It had better be his name."

"It sure will," said Hojo. The whole tube had been filled now completely with the liquid that will sustain Jenova. It instantly sedated Jenova, and she floated in the tube a little. "I'm pretty sure it's the least I can do for you. Don't worry, you're little…Sephiroth is in good hands."

**End story**

Cait Sith took a huge breath. "PHEW! How's that for a long story!"

Hojo gaped in shock at Cait Sith. "How--how did you…!"

Cait Sith studied a glove-covered hand. "I have my ways of getting supposed unknown info."

"You're amazing…!" breathed Tseng. "Why, all the time we spent researching, you could have found out much, much sooner…!"

"If shachoo will hire me," said Cait Sith.

"Of course he'll hire you!" said Reeve reassuringly. "You prove to be more useful then our Turks and scientists!" Tseng and Hojo pulled skeptical expressions. "Anyway, we've lingered here long enough, I say," said Reeve, picking Cait Sith up. "We need to make Cait Sith presentable to the shachoo, right? Be seeing you, Tseng, Hojo-sama." With a nod, Reeve walked away with Cait Sith.

"Bye!" called Cait Sith as Reeve walked down the hallway. "I hope to share more interesting stories with you later on!"

Tseng and Hojo exchanged glances. "Well… he _is_ a resourceful spy," said Tseng grudgingly.

"Hmm…" agreed Hojo slowly. "But what I'd like to know is how Cait Sith got his hands on such footage and scenes…"

"His paws on such footage," said Tseng. He blinked. "Oh, my god, I made a pathetic joke… Ugh…oh… Excuse me," he said, hurrying off to wash his mouth with soap.

Hojo watched him hurry off, then placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "This is indeed strange… Reeve wasn't around at the time, so he can't have told Cait Sith that story… Damn, he _is_ good," muttered Hojo, leaving the room to get some lunch.  
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**Whoo! Cait Sith is a sure story teller! Wow, it's the middle of the night, my eyes burn…  
Kazooie: **And look, not a single mention of Cloud, Zack, or Sephiroth anywhere.  
**Rose: **No, really! -checks fanfic- Wow. None at all.  
**What! I DIDN'T MENTION CLOUD OR ZACK OR SEPHIROTH IN THIS CHAPTER!  
Mario: **Wait, never mind, Sephiroth is mentioned.  
**Phew! Okay:3 See you in chapter 40! And don't forget to review! Bye!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Chapter 40! It seems only yesterday that you were posting chapter 20! Or even 30! We have sure gone a looong way!

**A/N: **Yep, we have! AND ITS THANKS TO YOU WONDERFUL READERS! DON'T EVER CHANGE, AND ALWAYS REVIEW!  
**Muses: **Sorry, she's kinda tired, so she's a bit loud. Don't mind her.  
**Me: **Whee! Let's get going on…

**Chapter Forty: A New Lighthearted Feeling**  
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After he had finished rewashing the dishes, Cloud trudged to Sephiroth's room. _My hands sting really bad,_ thought Cloud. _I'll have to ask Sephy about the type of bleach-lemon he uses…_ Cloud opened the door to Sephiroth's room. "Sephy!" he called. "I'm here."

"Well, don't just stand there, come in," said Sephiroth from the balcony.

Cloud blinked and entered the room, closing the door behind him. "So… What kind of lessons did you have in mind?"

"Come over here, stand by me really quick," said Sephiroth, indicating that Cloud should come stand next to him.

"Okay…" said Cloud, putting on the light blue fuzzy slippers and coming over next to Sephiroth. "Whoa… What an excellent view you have from here!" exclaimed Cloud. "How lucky… you get such a good view of the world, even places outside of Shinra…!"

"I didn't ask you here to enjoy the view," said Sephiroth bluntly.

"Eh…? Oh, right…" muttered Cloud quietly. "Sorry, I was just…"

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud. "…I suppose we could have five minutes before we begin," he said, turning to enter his room. "I need to get the lesson together anyway."

"Shall I help, or…?"

"No, no, go on and enjoy your view," said Sephiroth. "I'll call you inside when the lesson's ready."

"Okay…" Cloud smiled a little "Thanks, Sephy…"

Sephiroth felt a weird expression come across his face. Was he returning that small smile? He shook himself and entered his room. _I haven't been feeling well lately, _thought Sephiroth bitterly to himself as he walked to his bedroom and flopped back-first onto the bed. _I must be catching something…like some kind of illness… That must be why I've been feeling more lighthearted recently…yeah, that's it…_

The sound of humming caught his ears, and Sephiroth sat up curiously. The humming continued, so Sephiroth got up to follow the source of the sound. He stood by his door and looked out towards the balcony, where Cloud was still standing, apparently humming to himself.

Sephiroth watched for a few seconds, not sure if he should be annoyed, because that lighthearted feeing was returning. _I usually don't like humming…in fact, I hate humming…_ he glanced down a little. _…then why do I feel like I don't mind that it's Cloud doing the humming…?_ He shook himself. _What am I thinking! I despise humming! No SOLDIER would ever _dare_ to hum in my presence! Besides, we have those lessons to go through!_ With a firm nod to himself, he stepped over to the middle of the room and called, "Cloud! It's time to begin!"

Cloud stopped humming and looked back. "Already? Wow, five minutes sure does go by fast…" he walked from the balcony to stand a few paces away from Sephiroth. "Well…what were we doing today?"

"Sit down, right here," said Sephiroth, shaking his head of any lighthearted feeling. Cloud nodded and sat down. "…what do you do when that geostigma starts hurting you?"

"Huh…?" Cloud looked down. "Well, I… If it's a bad ache, I might flinch or whimper or something… If it's just a little sting, like it usually is, then I just usually wince. But sometimes, the pain is excruciating…it happened once, and it was all I could do to not yell in pain…"

"Ah," said Sephiroth. "And is it true that you remember sad and happy things?"

"Yes…"

"What kinds of things? Would you tell me what kind of things?" asked Sephiroth.

Cloud closed his eyes and lowered his head a little bit. "I…no, I really don't want to tell anyone…"

"Hmm… Well, I'm very curious as to what kind of things you remember," said Sephiroth. "If it started hurting you now, would you tell me what you remembered?"

Cloud didn't answer.

"Cloud," said Sephiroth more firmly. "That was an order."

"An order…? But--" started Cloud, looking up at Sephiroth.

"No more talking! This is part of our lessons to teach you how to ignore pain! You ready?"

"What are you going to do?" asked Cloud apprehensively.

"This," answered Sephiroth, pulling a Vincent and reaching down to grab Cloud's geostigma to make it start hurting.

"…" gasped Cloud in surprise.

"A gasp of surprise?" asked Sephiroth, releasing Cloud's arm. "Did you remember anything?"

"No, not really…"

"How badly does it need to hurt for you to remember something?" asked Sephiroth. He didn't wait an answer; instead he tried again.

Cloud winced at a memory.

**_Flash: Tifa was holding out her hand with a kind smile. "Please don't stay out here in this awful rain. You can come stay at my house. We'll have an extra room for you…"_**

Sephiroth released Cloud again and said, "Remembered something, right? You winced."

"Yes, I did remember something," murmured Cloud, placing his right hand over his left arm.

"And it was…?"

Cloud glanced away from Sephiroth. "I…can't tell you."

"You can't tell me?" repeated Sephiroth.

"It's…something I'd rather keep to myself… I can't tell anybody, especially not anyone from Shinra Company."

Sephiroth raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Especially not Shinra personnel? Why not?"

"If I told you why, I'd only be putting myself in danger," said Cloud.

"Oh, really? It's some dark and deadly secret, is it?" Sephiroth narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Does this have something to do with the Jenova cell you have within you?"

Cloud closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can't tell anyone…not you, nor Zack, nor Tifa… I can't tell anyone."

"Pheh," scoffed Sephiroth impatiently. "I don't like it when people keep secrets from me! Why is it that you won't tell anyone? How would it endanger you?"

"I don't like it when people badger me about things I would rather keep secret!" snapped Cloud, glaring up at Sephiroth. "Everyone has their little secret! I'm sure even you have a secret or two! I can't tell anyone about it, all right! It could mean terrible things if even one person in Shinra Company were to remember it!" Sephiroth narrowed his eyes again, and Cloud gasped. _Oh, no…! Why--Why did I shout at him like that…! I'm in trouble now…_

"You…have a lot of nerve," said Sephiroth after a few minutes of silence. "So there _is_ a more assertive persona inside you after all. Why don't you let it out all the time?"

"No, I'm not assertive…" said Cloud quietly, lowering his eyes. "I…I just can get like that sometimes…"

"Hmm… Well, fine, be that way," said Sephiroth. "I'll find out, one way or another… Let's continue with the lesson, shall we?"

"If we must," said Cloud apprehensively.

"Good," said Sephiroth. "Let's see what you remember next…" Without warning, he suddenly grabbed Cloud's left arm in a very painful grip.

**_Flash: Cloud had tentatively approached the group of kids and asked if he could join them, but then the bullies started laughing and had all the kids join them in tossing basketballs at Cloud, causing Cloud to cry out and flee…_**

Cloud pulled away from Sephiroth. "That hurts! Let go!"

Sephiroth stared at Cloud. "What did you remember?" he asked curiously.

"…I--I had asked some kids if I could join them…they looked like they were about to agree when those bully kids just laughed, and they and the rest of the kids started to toss basketballs at me…"

"You were really the unpopular one, weren't you?" asked Sephiroth.

"I don't know why they always picked on me!" exclaimed Cloud. "I never asked them to mistreat me or something! I wanted to make a lot of friends, but as it turned out, Tifa was the only one who actually treated me like I was a person rather then trash! I wanted to make friends, too!"

"Whoa, calm down," said Sephiroth. "Jeez, I'm sorry, Cloud."

"No, it's nothing about you," said Cloud more quietly. "I…just don't like remembering the past. No matter how I try to forget it, it always sneaks up on me somehow…"

"You had no family in Nibelheim?" asked Sephiroth. "You had no parents or anything?" Cloud shook his head sadly. "Then where on earth did you come from?"

"I can't tell you."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Sigh… One day, I'll get the truth out of you. One day…"

"How much longer will we go on?" asked Cloud.

"Oh, let's go for one more. Try not to show any pain this time. The whole point of this lesson was for you to avoid any pain, remember? Let's try again."

Cloud braced himself for the harsh pain the suddenly came when Sephiroth whammed the stigma hard.

**_Flash: "He's our docile little Chocobo!" announced one bully. "And his owner, Tifa, isn't here at all this week! Let's wreak all the havoc we want onto this Chocobo!" Cloud had tried to pull away from the bullies, but it was to no avail…_**

_**Flash: Cloud was sitting on Tifa's bed, hugging himself tightly, not saying anything, and then he glanced at the little juice box Tifa had left for him…**_

_**Flash: "Don't forget! You promised me!" called Tifa as she waved Cloud goodbye…**_

Sephiroth watched Cloud's expression carefully. "You winced a little, but you made no sound. That's good. What did--"

"I remember?" finished Cloud. He sighed. "The bullies were going to wreak havoc on me because Tifa had to leave for a week, and I--I remembered the day I promised Tifa I'd become stronger for her."

"Is that all?"

"Yes…"

"Hmm…fine," said Sephiroth, though he had a feeling still that Cloud was hiding something. "You're dismissed for today. Go back to your room and check your e-mail or something. There'll be no meals for you today or the rest of the week."

"But I haven't eaten anything for three days!" gasped Cloud in shock. "I'm starving! I'm lacking in sleep greatly, too! How am I supposed to keep up with your training!"

"By swallowing your weakness and let your inner strength out," said Sephiroth. "If you concentrate on the hunger, then hunger is all you'll get. Learn to ignore hunger, remember? Off you go."

"But I…" Cloud trailed off and sighed sadly. "Fine, I will… See you later, Sephy…" he stood up, trudged to the door, put his boots back on, and left the room.

Sephiroth stared at the closed door, surprised to feel that lighthearted feeling again. "Why is it that every time he leaves the room…" he stood up and walked to the balcony to watch Cloud walk back to his room. "…I want to watch him leave…?"  
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**Oh-hoh! Is Sephiroth feeling an infatuation with little Cloud? Or is it something else? These new feelings will be seen a lot, won't they? HAH! We'll see what happens, won't we? See you next chapter!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Ooh, I think CloudxSephiroth is a GOOOD possibility-becoming-reality now… Worry not, everyone, I'm sure that's the case here!

**A/N: **True that! If it gets demanded enough, I sure will do CloudxSephiroth! Hell, I'll probably go on ahead and do it! TRY AND STOP ME:3 Anyway, let's get started with Chapter 41!

**Chapter Forty-One: Snack Time!**  
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Zack had checked his e-mail. _Oh… Rufus has the first test ready…?_

**_To: zack(underscore)wolf(underscore)lover(at-symbol)yahoo(dot)com_**

_**From: rufus(underscore)shinra(underscore)01(at-symbol)shinra(dot)company(dot)com**_

**_I have the first test run for the new program, MAXIMUM. But don't have it tested here at Shinra. Trust me, this program will have a devastating effect on everything around it._**

**_It works like this: it'll summon power from the Lifestream, and give it to a SOLDIER. The test subject will be Cloud. You are to go to the City of the Ancients and test MAXIMUM there…and send the results to me. I am very eager to see how it's first test run will go…_**

**_Shachoo no Shinra Company_**

_"…_this sounds suspicious," said Zack quietly. "He's telling me to test a program that could have devastating results in the City of the Ancients…? Why there?" Zack sighed, signing out of his account and turning his laptop off. "Well… I have to go find Cloud now…"

He stood up and walked to Cloud's room. When he entered, Cloud was face-first onto the bed. He must have just fallen asleep, as his boots were still on and Cloud was laying on the blanket.

Zack smiled sadly and walked over to Cloud. "Cloud?" he asked quietly, giving him a gentle shake. "Are you awake?"

Cloud groaned and rolled over. "Turn the light off…"

"…sure," said Zack, not wanting to test the program today. He walked over to the curtain and closed it, and then turned off Cloud's light. "There. I'm sorry to bother you," he said quietly. "I'll come back at dinnertime, all right?"

"You can't…" murmured Cloud. "Sephy said I can't have any meals the rest of this week…"

"He what!" asked Zack in shock. "Why!"

"For training…"

Zack stood in shock for a couple more seconds. _This isn't just training… This is cruelty! Torture! What is Sephiroth thinking! I thought I was something like…but, no, this is completely different… Was I wrong?_ Zack shook his head. "Cloud, you have to eat something, even if it's a small something!"

"But Sephy said I can't eat," said Cloud.

"His training won't get any easier if you don't eat," said Zack. "Please at least have an apple or something."

Cloud laid still for a few minutes, apparently thinking it over. He sat up and smiled sleepily at Zack. "An…an apple would be nice."

Zack sighed with relief. "Okay, then. Wait here, I'll go fetch you an apple, okay?" Cloud nodded, and Zack hurried down to the cafeteria to get an apple. "Hey, cooks, I'd like an apple," said Zack to the cooks in the cafeteria.

"You do?" asked a cook. "It's not dinner for another two hours. You sure you can't wait that long?"

"I'm sure."

The cook nodded. "Very well, then. You know the drill, two gil per apple. How many do you want?"

"Uh…two apples please," said Zack, realizing that he was hungry himself. He took out four gil and handed it to the cook. "Two red apples if you don't mind."

"Two red apples coming up," said the cook, heading for the fridge and pulling out two apples. "Here, enjoy."

"Thanks," said Zack, taking the apples and rushing upstairs. Upon climbing the last step, however, Zack crashed into Sephiroth. "Oof!" went Zack, more out of surprise. "Watch where you're going…" Zack trailed off.

"Yeah, think twice before telling me what to do," said Sephiroth, narrowing his eyes at Zack. "What's that you got in your hands?"

"Uh…apples?" asked Zack.

"Yeah, and I noticed that you have two of them. Are we hungry tonight?"

"Yes, we are," said Zack.

"…then why do I have this feeling that you're bringing that apple to Cloud?"

"You're just paranoid," said Zack. "I have absolutely no intention of bringing this apple to Cloud. I'll leave that to you, Mr. I'm-now-Cloud's-trainer."

"Hmph," scoffed Sephiroth. "That's right, _I'm_ Cloud's trainer. And when I say he can't eat for the rest of this week-" he snatched the apples "-it means he can't eat at all!"

"…! Hey! Give those back!" exclaimed Zack. "I paid four gil for those!"

"You shouldn't have wasted your money then," said Sephiroth. "Don't try to sneak Cloud any more food, I'll find out about it."

"How did you know Cloud asked for food anyway?" asked Zack.

"I have my ways," said Sephiroth. "Maybe I was…ah, outside the door?"

"Outside of Cloud's door?" Zack blinked. "What are you, a stalker or something? Why were you waiting outside Cloud's door?"

"To make sure Cloud wouldn't try to sneak out himself to sneak food," answered Sephiroth. "You want those apples? Go and get them," he said, dropping them down the stairs.

"! My apples!" yelled Zack, hurrying down the stairs to get the apples.

THUNK THUMP

"Ow…" said the other SOLDIER. Zack's two SOLDIER friends were walking up the stairs and the two apples hit the other SOLDIER on the head. Two apples in a row. Ouch.

"Hey, dude, are you all right?" asked one SOLDIER.

The other SOLDIER rubbed his head, picking the two apples up. "Yeah, I think so. But look at these! Apples!"

"Ooh! They came from heaven! YEAH!" one SOLDIER grabbed one apple. "You get one, I get one."

"Alrighty then!" said the other SOLDIER.

Zack stopped at the third step when he saw them. "Oh, guys, you found my apples!"

"No, these aren't yours, these came from heaven!" said one SOLDIER.

"Yes, and we're gonna eat them!" agreed the other SOLDIER. "But we'll share with you if you like."

"No, no, you two, you don't understand, Sephiroth dropped those apples so I couldn't give one to Cloud."

"Why doesn't Sephiroth want Cloud to have the apples?" asked one SOLDIER curiously. "If he wanted one, he could go get one himself, huh?"

"No, he doesn't want Cloud to eat for the rest of this week. He says its to train Cloud to ignore hunger, but I say it's torture!"

"It _is_ training!" called Sephiroth from above.

"Pheh, whatever, man," sighed Zack. "Look, you two, could I…"

"Waf's dat?" asked one SOLDIER, his mouth full of apples.

"I fihnk he wants da applsh," said the other SOLDIER.

They both exchanged guilty glances, then held out the half-eaten apples to Zack. "Sigh…never mind, you two can keep them."

"Okay, if you say so," said the other SOLDIER after swallowing, shrugging to take another bite.

Zack walked up the stairs, where Sephiroth was still waiting at the top. "I'll wait for you to go," said Zack testily. "Cloud _does_ need to eat, and he does need sleep. Why is it that you seem to enjoy causing anguish to others, especially Cloud? You a sadist or something?"

Sephiroth looked up. "Something like that," he said slowly. He walked down the stairs to his room.

Zack sighed, and walked into Cloud's room. "I'm sorry, Cloud, but Sephiroth stopped me from getting you an apple. Will you be all right?"

Cloud saddened, looking down at the bed. "I…guess I'll be all right… Thanks, Zack."

"…come with me really quick," said Zack suddenly, hurrying over to Cloud.

"Huh? Go where?"

Zack took Cloud's hand and hurried him to his room. "I have plenty of snacks in here," said Zack cheerfully. "Now that Sephiroth has returned to his room, you can grab a bite or two to eat!"

"But, what is Sephy finds out?" asked Cloud, looking around.

"He won't, don't worry," said Zack, closing his door. "Go on and pick a snack from the cupboard."

Cloud hesitated, then slowly approached the cupboard. He opened it and looked inside. There was Ritz crackers, saltines, a bag of trail mix, several bags of chips, some Oreos, a half-eaten Kudos snack bar, some Hershey's Kisses, a packet of Reccees Peanut Butter Cups, a packet of fig newtons, Teddy Grams, Skittles, a few Nutri-Bars, and jelly beans in a jar.

Cloud gaped at all the snack. "All--All of these snacks are yours! What kind of special privileges do you have!"

"Well…I'm not sure if you already know this, but I'm the lead programmer here at Shinra Company. I'm in charge of overseeing all new programs tests and making sure no program has flaws. So, I get special privileges, cause the company would be screwed without my ability to program."

"Oh…" said Cloud, looking at all the snacks in turn.

"Eat as much as you like, I always get my snack cupboard refilled at the end of every month. Heck, you can take all of it if you like!"

"Is that all right?" asked Cloud, glancing back at Zack with worry. "I don't want to pig out on all your snacks. What if you get hungry later on, and all of your snacks are gone because of me?"

"Cloud, it's no trouble at all," said Zack, smiling. "Really, my top priority is you. I won't let you starve. Please, eat up! You must be hungry after all."

Cloud returned the smile, and looked at the snacks. "I'll…I'll take…Ah! I'll take them all! Thank you so much, Zack!" Cloud took an armful of snacks and brought them to the table. "Co-Could you and I share the snacks, so I don't feel guilty?"

"Sure! Snacks are funner to share with friends anyway!" Zack helped Cloud opened some of the snack bags and packets. "Well, let's eat!" said Zack.

Cloud and Zack clapped their hands and announced, "Itadakimasu!"

Zack munched on a handful of chips, watching Cloud hungrily wolf down snack after snack. _Oh…he is my priority… But how can I tell him that I'll have to test MAXIMUM later on today or tomorrow…? What effects will MAXIMUM cause?_

Cloud finished a handful of trail mix, letting out a happy sigh. "That tastes soo good…!"

"You want some more?" asked Zack. "Here, let's split the rest of the Ritz crackers, huh?"

"Sure!" said Cloud excitedly. He munched a Ritz cracker, and said to Zack, "Zack, you truly are a good friend! Thank you for all this wonderful food!"

"Of course, Cloud," said Zack happily. "I'll do anything for you."

"And I you!" agreed Cloud earnestly. "I…I really like you a lot!"

"Me, too!"

Cloud smiled at Zack, then looked down bashfully. "I'm so glad you and I became friends…I couldn't deal with Sephy if I didn't have you. Sephy, he's…well, a little rough, but he's a friend too. I hope you and Sephy can get along better."

"Huh?" asked Zack. "We do get along."

"Well, it's just… Never mind," said Cloud, standing up. "I'll tell you later, okay? I need to go get some sleep now."

"But…sure," said Zack slowly. "You sure you had your fill to eat?"

"I'm sure," said Cloud. "Thanks, Zack, for everything. Good night," he called as he left.

"…Rough?" repeated Zack to himself. "What does 'rough' mean…? Does that mean that Sephiroth really does…?"  
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**I'm halfway through this chapter, when this friend of mine comes up beside me to see what I'm typing. She reads the chapter, and points out to me that "MAXIMUM" is an actual program thingy in the game "Dirge of Cerebus". Is that true? It can't be true!  
Mario: **If it is true, will someone be a dear and tell that to Fairy Red? -under breath- She wants nothing to do with "Dirge of Cerebus"…  
**Damn right! I don't like Vincent that much. Pheh. Anyway, uh… See you later, and don't forget to review! Bye for now!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Why don't you like Dirge of Cerebus? I think it's a good game. After all, it _is_ an FF7 game.

**A/N: **Yeah, yeah, it's part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, yeah. But was it absolutely necessary to include a WHOLE thing about Vince? PAH! I don't like Vince that much. And besides, I'm more eager for Crisis Core. Or Last Order.

And no smacking Sephy! That's my job!  
**Everyone: **…  
**Me: **What?  
**Everyone: **Nothing…  
**Me: **…? Huh. Anyway, I was thinking about a masochistic Cloud. THAT would be excellent! Can I do that? It's the word of you readers after all. I didn't plan to make Cloud a masochist, but if it gets demanded a lot, then I'll certainly do it! (PS: Vote yes for a masochistic Cloud!)

Well, enough of that. Let's get started!

**Chapter Forty-Two: The MAXIMUM Effect**  
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Zack woke up early in the morning. _It might be a good idea to test MAXIMUM first thing in the morning,_ thought Zack. _Better now then never… Well, never is better then now, but in this case…_ He sighed sadly and trudged to Clouds room. To his surprise, when he got inside, Cloud was already awake, looking out the window. "Cloud?" he asked.

Cloud jumped and whirled around. "Za-Zack!" he stammered. "You scared me!"

"You're awake pretty early today," remarked Zack. "You couldn't sleep well last night?"

"No, I learned to get up early," said Cloud.

"You…learned?" repeated Zack. _Conditioned would be the more correct word,_ thought Zack to himself. He eyed Cloud. "You still have the raccoon eyes, and your eyes look drowsy."

"You should see Sephy when he has raccoon eyes," said Cloud with a smile, rubbing his eyes. "He's worse then me. It's almost like he has raccoon eyes all the time…"

"…" Zack sat down at Cloud's table, trying to shake a guilty feeling from himself. _He seems so cheerful today… Oh, if only I knew what MAXIMUM does so I don't get this sense that something awful might happen…_

"Zack? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Zack blinked and looked up at Cloud, who was looking down at Zack with concern. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, but…"

"But what?"

"…we have another program for you to be tested on," said Zack quietly.

"Really?"

Zack felt even more confused. Cloud didn't seem all that surprised; in fact, it looked as though he's been expecting it. "Yeah, really… We have to go to the City of the Ancients and test it there."

"Okay then," said Cloud. "What program is it this time?"

"…Cloud, this isn't you!" exclaimed Zack, standing up. "What's the matter? Surely, you aren't just gonna accept being tested, right!"

"Zack, calm down. You're beginning to sound like Tifa," said Cloud with a smile. "I'm all right. There would be no point in fighting, after all. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?"

Zack gasped. _What happened to him…? What happened to the little Cloud that I knew…! Has the Cloud I love so much really become Sephiroth already…!_

"We should get going, yes?" asked Cloud, standing up and heading for the door. "I'll meet you by the door, okay?"

"Of--Of course," stammered Zack. Cloud nodded and left the room. Zack glanced down at the table, not really seeing it. _Have I really lost Cloud…?_

**With Cloud…**

Cloud stood at the doors and waited, thinking about what happened in the room. _Why did I feel so calm a few minutes ago? _thought Cloud to himself, an apprehensive feeling washing over him. _It's not like me to be so calm around Zack… I would have wanted any comfort I could get from Zack…to have him hold me and tell me it'll be all right…_ Cloud hugged himself and waited. _I hope Zack comes down here soon…_

Clomping footsteps were heard, and Cloud looked up eagerly to see Zack hurrying down the stairs. "Hey, Cloud," said Zack, carrying his laptop at his side. "Let's get going."

"You know where to go, right?" asked Cloud, following Zack out of the building. "Have you ever been to the City of the Ancients? And where is it anyway?"

"I can't really say where it is," said Zack. "In fact, it can only be found by those who know exactly where it is. And our new shachoo knows that only three people know where it is."

"Three? Who are those three?"

"…me, Aeris, and Tseng."

"Tseng!" repeated Cloud in shock. "But… Isn't he that Turk? How does he know how to find the City of the Ancients?"

Zack let out a long sigh. "Aeris told me about her childhood, how she spent it with her best friend Tseng. She had a small crush on him, but that faded after she left to move to Midgar. The next time she saw Tseng, he was a Turk who had at first helped kidnap her, then helped release her."

"Oh…"

"Yes, they were really good friends, and Tseng knows Aeris's real name, even if I don't…" Zack let out an impatient snort. "But of course I still love Aeris! I--I don't think she'll ever leave me for Tseng, right?"

"No, of course she won't!" agreed Cloud hurriedly. "Aeris loves you a lot, Zack, and so--so does everyone else who meets you! Aeris chose you, right? She's still with you, otherwise she'd be at Shinra with Tseng, right?"

Zack smiled at Cloud. "Thanks for saying so. And I'm sorry for that little outburst. It's just… I can get a little jealous now and then. Don't mind me."

"It's no problem," said Cloud. _Aeris really has made a strong impression onto Zack… What must _I_ do to make that same impression onto him as well…?_

**At the City of the Ancients… (bear with me, I haven't played the game in a looong time, and I lost it, so I don't remember the game map well. If lost, just imagine the Forgotten City from FF7AC. They're the same thing anyway, right? Can't remember… Anyway, let's move on!)**

"Wow!" exclaimed Cloud, looking around the forest. "It's so beautiful…! The Cetra really once lived here!"

"Yes, they did," said Zack, watching Cloud run about the trees fondly. _I guess I haven't lost him after all…_ he saddened. _But I can't forget why we're here…_

"Is this really all trees, or is it like a regular city. Can only certain people see past the, if any, illusions?"

"There're no illusions, it's all nature," said Zack, sitting down on a stump and opening a laptop. "We--we have to get started."

"Oh, already? All right then," said Cloud sadly, coming over to Zack. "What must I do first?"

"First off, you have to be some ways away when we commence the first program test. A far place into the forest. I'd say about 10 to 11 acres away from here."

"That far?" asked Cloud, looking into the forest. "Surely it's not that far away…?"

"Just a precaution," said Zack. "I don't like being separated either, but… Don't worry, I'm sure it's perfectly safe."

"…okay," said Cloud quietly with a blush. "I trust you."

Zack watched Cloud walk deep into the woods. Zack opened up Cloud's programming and kept a visual open. _When he reaches exactly 10 acres away… But I hope the program isn't that devastating…_

**About 1 hour and 47 minutes later…**

"Cloud, I hope you'll be all right…" said Zack, checking the visual. Cloud was ten acres into the city, and Zack could see that Cloud looked a bit anxious about the program. _The power of the Lifestream is a lot… Not even Aeris can fully understand the Lifestreams power. What makes shachoo think that Cloud can?_

Cloud in the visual was saying something, but the visual had no audio, so Zack had no idea what he was saying.

_I can't even lip read…I wonder what he's saying…? _Zack shook his head and opened up the program. "Well…here goes." Zack clicked onto the program, and typed the word "MAXIMUM".

At first, nothing happened. Zack looked around, and saw no change anywhere. Then all of a sudden, a sharp piercing scream was heard in the distance. He gasped and looked up. "Cloud!" Forgetting that he had the visual open, Zack dropped the laptop and started to rush into the woods to find Cloud, but then there was a massive explosion; Zack let out a yell as he was blown back. "Oh!" he cried in pain as he collided with a tree. He slid down and landed face first. "Ow… What happened…?" Zack stood up shakily, and looked around in shock at the amount of destruction that MAXIMUM caused.

Nearly a whole row of trees had been destroyed; debris lay everywhere, and a haunting silence filled the air. It was almost like the calm of a storm.

"This is awful…! Is Cloud okay!" With that, Zack picked the laptop up and hurried into the woods, looking for Cloud. "He can't have gone that far…! No, he has gone very far…! Don't worry, I'm coming!" After a long time shifting through trees and bushes, Zack finally made it to Cloud. "Cloud!" called Zack.

Cloud was breathing heavily, but still standing nonetheless. "Zack…" he gasped with a tired smile. "That--that was MAXIMUM, huh…?"

Zack held Cloud steady. "You're awake! How do you feel? You feel all right, right? Do you need rest?"

"I'm fine, just really tired…"

"Just really tired!" repeated Zack in shock. "But-- That was all the power of the Lifestream! Look around you! How could you not be tired after you did all this!"

Cloud looked around with a surprised expression. "How--how much damage was that…!"

"I'd say about 10 acres worth."

"But I feel just fine…" said Cloud quietly.

He took a few shaky steps forward, and Zack hurried over to steady him again. "Cloud, you shouldn't move! You're exhausted! You need rest!"

Cloud smiled tiredly. "I--I can't, I have to train with Sephy. He said no breaks…"

"It doesn't matter what he says! You're getting some rest as soon as we get back to Shinra." Zack softened his gaze at Cloud, and added more gently, "Just let me have a word with Sephiroth, all right? He's sure to understand."

"…I hope so," said Cloud, closing his eyes and leaning onto Zack.

**When they get back to Shinra Company…**

Zack and Cloud were about to come upstairs when Rufus called, "Zack! Strife! Come into my office, we have to discuss the results of the MAXIMUM."

"We do?" asked Zack. "Can't I just mail the results to you? That's that I did with the old shachoo."

"New shachoo, new rules," said Rufus. "Come on, I would rather discuss them then read about them. Come on."

Zack and Cloud exchanged glances, and followed Rufus to his office. Rufus sat down at his desk and gestured to the seats across from him. "Well, shachoo, what did you want to discuss?"

"Not discuss something with you, Zack. Just tell me the results and leave. It's with Strife I need to discuss something with."

"Wha…?" Zack trailed off, then sighed. "The MAXIMUM had devastating results. It destroyed a whole ten acres of the Ancient City! I think you should tweak it a little, so it's not so destructive."

"Yeah, sure," said Rufus. "Tweak it. I might," he said with an evil smile. "On your way."

Zack bit his lip, wanting to stay, but resignedly picked his laptop up and left the room. "See you in my room, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded but didn't say anything.

After Zack left, Rufus stood up. "I had a feeling you'd eventually find out that I murdered my father," he said without preamble. "Which is a shame, because I would so love to have you out of my hair."

Cloud looked down and didn't answer.

"You…remind me too much of Sephiroth when he was our age," said Rufus. "Would it surprise you to know that Sephiroth and I are something…like half-brothers?"

Cloud looked up, startled. "What…! Sephy is your half-brother!"

Rufus shrugged. "In a sense, seeing as we share the same father."

"…wait, you mean… Your father, the old shachoo, was…!" Rufus nodded. "Then who was the mother!"

"Elizabeth Shinra," answered Rufus. "She was a foolish young lady. Bright, cheerful, and blonde. The perfect target for Shinra's experiments."

"But…Sephy always told me he didn't have a father, that his mother was Jenova. I thought it was true."

"I myself don't know the full story," said Rufus. "I'm not even sure if Sephiroth is really a half-brother of mine."

"Then why tell me?" asked Cloud.

Rufus looked down at Cloud. "Are you saying that…you don't know what you are?"

"…I have no idea what you're talking about," said Cloud, looking down again.

"Hmph. You'll know, soon enough…" Rufus sat back down. "Anyway, the MAXIMUM program will be devastating enough, once I perfect it. So far, you were the only one to have survived the Lifestream's power."

"…I am?" asked Cloud. "Who else have you tested MAXIMUM on?"

"Oh, just a few SOLDIERs here and there…a handful of Turks…even a scientists…heck, I've even pulled in a few civilians. This program will change the world."

"You've tested so many people…!" Cloud looked up in shock at Rufus. "Have you no remorse! How can you stand to be so cruel-hearted! How many people will you see killed on your way to power!"

Rufus raised his eyebrows. "…you're a spirited one," he said at last. "So you _can_ get emotional at times. Well, if you're gonna be that way…" Rufus leaned back in his chair and waved a hand. "You're dismissed."

"Huh--No, wait, I'm not--"

"Dismissed, Cloud," repeated Rufus. "And I won't say it again."

Cloud opened his mouth to protest, then he sighed and lowered his head, leaving the room.

Rufus looked over some plans on his desk. _Spirits aren't allowed here at Shinra… After the final testings for MAXIMUM, there'll be one last thing to do to Cloud before we make him our second Sephiroth… And that will be to break him. Without any mercy.  
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**Whee, more Rufus-being-an-evil-bastard-ness. Aren't I the most evilest person in the world? OOH HOW I LOVE TO MAKE THE PEOPLE I TYPE ON COMPUTER SUFFER! WHAHAHAHAHAAHHHAHA!  
Muses: **-quietly- don't mind her, she's on sugar high.  
**So, I'll see you next chapter, yes? Bye for now!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **It's advent Christmas! …in the fanfic, at any rate.

**A/N: **Whee, I love Christmas! What better way to spend time with the people you love then to spend money on gifts for people you love dearly! WHEE FOR CHRISTMAS!

**Muses: **Whee!

Oh, someone wants Cloud to be broken! HAH! Me too. But not until later on. The broken Cloud will come along with the Cloud killing someone(s). Just be a little patient, as it's not coming for a while.

…I never played Kingdom Hearts. At least not that far into the game. Did something awful happen to Cloud in Kingdom Hearts? If it did, please tell me:3 Let's move on! CLOUD TORTURE GALORE! WAAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!

**Chapter Forty-Three: Infatuation**  
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Cloud walked back to his room, his head full of thoughts. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he walked right into Zack. "Oof!"

"Oh, Cloud! What's wrong?" asked Zack, noticing Cloud's expression right away.

"Nothing's wrong," said Cloud. "Really."

"Then why were you all spaced-out when you walked into me?" Zack crossed his arms. "There must be a reason."

"Do I need a reason?" asked Cloud. "I'm fine." He was about to enter his room, then stopped. "No, I'm not fine," he said, turning around. "Zack, I--I feel so different…sometimes I act different! I forget bits and pieces of my old personality. You can see it, right?"

Zack thought about it for a second. _He's beginning to realize what Hojo did to him…! When he finds out, Sephiroth is sure to find out as well… What should I tell him!_

"Zack? Tell me what's wrong with me," said Cloud despairingly. "I… Ever since Hojo took me to that lab to try to fix the stigma, I haven't felt normal at all! I feel like…I'm carrying something. Something really heavy, on my back. Sometimes, I feel like…" Cloud trailed off and backed up against the wall. "I feel…like…" he slid down the wall, staring at the floor.

Zack saddened, and knelt down to Cloud's level. "Cloud, I know the problem, but… I can't tell you yet. It'd be best if you didn't know."

"But I want to know!" cried Cloud. "What happened to me?"

"…you…about that day--"

"Then again, you're right," sighed Cloud dejectedly, standing up. "Maybe it's best if I didn't know…"

"Where're you going? You need rest!" called Zack, standing up. "You can take the day off, you're still tired from the MAXIMUM test, remember?"

"I'll go training with Sephy," said Cloud as he went down the stairs. "I need to think a few things over."

"But…Cloud…"

Cloud stopped at the foot of the stairs, clenching a hand on his shirt. _I want to be with you, Zack, but…I can't stop myself…I want your love with all my heart, but something inside me is trying to push you away…_ He looked up at Zack and smiled. "I'll be fine, Zack. Really. See you later."

Zack watched sadly as Cloud left to Sephiroth's room. "…what'll happen to Cloud…when he fully becomes Sephiroth's clone…?"

**With Sephiroth…**

Sephiroth stood on the balcony. Waiting. Watching. _He should be here soon,_ he thought to himself. He couldn't help but smile at that thought. _Come on up, my little Cloud…more lessons today…_ He perked up at the sight of Cloud heading for his room. _Ah… he's here…_

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the door opened and Cloud came inside, taking the boots off and putting the light blue slippers on. "Sephy, I'm here," he announced.

_I know you're here, _said Sephiroth to himself, looking back at Cloud. "Go ahead and take a seat then. We'll spend the rest of winter teaching you to resist pain."

"The rest of winter?" repeated Cloud, looking surprised. "I-Isn't that a little much?"

"Nothing's ever a little much," said Sephiroth with a smile. "Pain can be a good friend, Cloud. You just have to learn to get along with it."

Cloud looked down at the floor. "If you say so…"

"All right, then, let's begin," said Sephiroth, walking over to Cloud. He stopped in front of Cloud for a few seconds, a strange feeling overcoming him again. _Why…do I feel so strange again? Everytime I'm near Cloud, I get that feeling. It's that lighthearted feeling, isn't it…?_ Sephiroth shook his head, trying to shake these feelings.

Cloud, noticing that Sephiroth wasn't doing anything, looked up curiously. "Sephy?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

_And everytime he calls me that, I can't help but want to smile,_ thought Sephiroth, a small smile on his face.

_Oh, dear, what is he going to do today?_ thought Cloud worryingly, interpreting the smile as a malicious one.

"All right, we'll begin the lessons," said Sephiroth. "And remember to tell me what you remembered. I'm very curious about the kind of things that live in your memory."

"Why are you so curious about my past?"

Cloud had given Sephiroth a tilt-headed questioning face, making Sephiroth feel that feeling he had just shaken off. _Look at his hair…why is it so spikey and messy…?_ his fingers itched to ruffle that hair of only to make it even more messier. _How come I never noticed before how messy his hair was…?_Sephiroth shook his head again, and answered, "I want to know everything about you. If we can figure out your strengths and weaknesses by revisiting you past, it'll make training you a whole lot easier."

"Oh…"

"Anyway," said Sephiroth, "roll up that sleeve."

"Okay. But why?" asked Cloud, rolling up the sleeve. "It's not much to look at," he said with a bitter look at the stigma.

"I think it looks fine," said Sephiroth. _Especially on your arm…_ He shook himself firmly, and pulled out Masamune. "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit."

"What are you going to do with Masamune?" asked Cloud, inching away a little.

_That fearful look on his face…priceless! _"This!" answered Sephiroth, using the edge of Masamune to make a slit in the stigma.

Cloud let out a loud a gasp of pain as memories flooded his mind again.

**_Flash: Zack and Aeris smiling at each other in the church, and Cloud watching, feeling jealous and trying to tell himself to not be jealous…_**

_**Flash: "There's nothing wrong with you," said a brown-haired woman, stroking the hair of 5-year-old Cloud while hugging him. "You're perfect in my eyes, even if no-one else sees it…"**_

Sephiroth smiled, a sadistical feeling coming over him. "What did you remember?"

Cloud put a hand over the stigma. "I…I remembered the first time I met Aeris, the way she and Zack smiled at each other…"

"Is that all? There must have been more."

"No, no more then that," said Cloud, wincing a little. "Do you have a bandage or something? I--I don't like it when it bleeds, it hurts…"

"Does it now?" asked Sephiroth in mock surprise. "Well, then I think I'll leave it like that! Pain is good." _Especially inflicting pain on others…on you._

Cloud bit his lip. "But…"

"Wait here really quick, I need to grab something," said Sephiroth, standing up and heading for the door.

"What are you going to grab?"

"Some salt, some lemon, sour things."

"It's doesn't have anything to do with the lesson, does it?"

"You'll find out soon enough, won't you?" asked Sephiroth, glancing back at Cloud. "Don't move, I'll be right back."

"Don't move?" repeated Cloud as Sephiroth left the room. "Yeah, right, I'm not going anywhere," he thought aloud bitterly, rubbing the stigma to stop the bleeding.

**Back with Sephiroth again…**

Sephiroth closed the door and headed for the cafeteria slowly. "He doesn't like pain. That has to change." He looked up at the sky. "…For some strange reason, I feel an odd connection to him, almost as if we're the same person. I even saw what he saw. He saw Aeris and Zack smiling at each other, true enough…but who was that brown haired lady in his flashback? His mother? Or was it his sister? Was she related to Cloud in any way…?" He sighed and entered the kitchen. "Hey, cooks, I need some salt, lemon, and anything else that'll sting a cut."

The cooks looked up. "Uh…sure, Sephiroth," said a cook, bustling to the spice rack and pulling out the salt, lemon, and pepper. "Will these do?"

"They're just perfect," said Sephiroth, smiling evilly. "I'll take these now. Bye," he called, leaving with the spices.

All the cooks exchanged glances, shrugged, and continued what they were doing.

**With Cloud…**

Cloud had taken off the tattered red cloth he was wearing and was using it as a sort of bandage. _I don't like ruining the outfit Aeris made for me, after she worked so hard on it…_ The door opened, and Cloud looked back to see Sephiroth enter, carrying some spices. "You found some good ones, huh?"

"Yes, I did," agreed Sephiroth, putting the fuzzy silver slippers on.

"I wonder how much this'll hurt…?" asked Cloud quietly, taking the tattered red cloth and wrapping it around his head again, letting a majority of it fall loose.

_Aw, why are you covering half of your face? _asked Sephiroth silently, setting the spices on the table. He read the labels on all three of them, pretending to decide which one to use first. "Oh, which one shall I use first?" he asked, tilting his head side to side. "Salt can really sting, but lemon lasts longer, and pepper can cause tears…"

"Take your time," said Cloud. "No worry over here."

Sephiroth gave Cloud a sideways glance. _His voice is slightly muffled. I didn't notice before…_ "I'll just go in alphabetical order," he decided a few minutes later, taking the lemon. "Ready?"

Cloud stared uneasily at the lemon. "I--I guess."

"Good," said Sephiroth, peeling the lemon and squeezing a lot of drops of it's juice onto the slit.

"Ah…!" cried Cloud.

**_Flash: "You're…inviting me?" asked Cloud cautiously. "To the barbeque?" he was standing in front of the free bullies, talking to the lead bully…_**

Cloud bit his lip to stop himself from making any more pained sounds, and Sephiroth smiled. "You remembered the day they invited you to the Thanksgiving barbeque, right?"

"…! How did you--?"

"I read minds," said Sephiroth, not ready to tell Cloud about the "odd connection" he felt between himself and Cloud.

"You can…?" _Oh, no, that's bad news… If he can read minds, how long before he finds out about…?_

"How badly did it hurt?" asked Sephiroth.

"It didn't feel great," muttered Cloud. "A cry of pain generally means that something caused pain, right?"

"Right," agreed Sephiroth. "And there's no reason for you to cry out in pain. Let's try again," he said, and before Cloud noticed, Sephiroth twisted the lemon to let a whole lot of juice spill onto the wound.

Cloud winced, a small gasp escaping him.

**_Flash: Kids are laughing and watching as Cloud was being bullied by the bullies and being called "Chocobo"…_**

_**Flash: Cloud looking into the window of Tifa's house, where he could see Tifa telling her father something…**_

_My, what an unpleasant memory,_ Sephiroth thought to himself. "You surely did have an awful past," he remarked. "Did you know what Tifa and her father were talking about?"

"I…yes, I do, Tifa told me that she and her father had discussed letting me stay at her house, seeing as I had nowhere else to go…"

"Did they let you stay at Tifa's house?"

"Her father didn't like it, but he agreed."

"What happened to Tifa's mother?"

"Uhm…I don't remember. She must have died or something before I showed up, as I never saw her."

"Ah… So is that why you dislike being called 'Chocobo'? Because that's what the kids would call you when they bullied you? Where was Tifa during that memory?"

"She…was out of town… Her father had to check affairs and such in Midgar and took Tifa along with him."

"Oh. Well, they do say that bullies are the most cowardly of people." Sephiroth placed the spent lemon on the table and picked up the pepper. "Let's see how well you do with this."

Cloud didn't wince or make a sound, but it was still a hard effort.

**A few hours later…**

"I think that's enough for today," said Sephiroth, setting the salt on the table. "You're getting better, but you still gasp or wince. We'll continue with these lessons through the end of winter, remember."

"I will," said Cloud quietly, rubbing his left arm and rolling the sleeve back down. "Can I have the doctor bandage it?"

"If you want," shrugged Sephiroth. "It's all the same to me, I'll just make a slightly deeper slit tomorrow."

"…oh… Okay then," said Cloud sadly, standing up and heading for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sephy."

"Yes, tomorrow," said Sephiroth. "And Cloud?" Cloud looked back, one hand on the doorknob. "You…can eat. And sleep. Do whatever you like, okay?"

Cloud looked confused, but nodded and said, "I--I will. Thanks, Sephy." He left the room.

Sephiroth walked to the balcony to watch Cloud return to his room. _Ah…now I get it. Now I know what this feeling is_, realized Sephiroth as he watched Cloud.

Cloud must have felt Sephiroth watching him, for he looked up at Sephiroth. He looked uncertain for a second, then smiled and waved.

Sephiroth hesitated slightly. _But…I _can't_ be feeling this…How could I, the great Sephiroth, be falling for Cloud?_ He smiled. _Who cares…? I…like this feeling. _He waved back to Cloud. The smile that was on his face wasn't an evil smile, or a sadistical smile, or even a fake smile. It was a real, true smile, one that convoyed happiness and love. (Aaw…) And whoever thought that a smile like that would come from Sephiroth? _I'm…infatuated…with…Cloud._  
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**AAAAW! I love cute warm little fuzzies like that! Sephiroth is falling in looove! Ooh, I'm soo naughty:3 Don't forget to review now. See you next chapter!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Enter Barret and Marlene. But as an oil field worker and his daughter?

**A/N: **In the movie, he said he found "the biggest goddamn oil field you have ever seen"!  
**Mario: **And you decided to work on that.  
**Me: **Yes.  
**Mario: **What happened to "no reference from the game/movie"?  
**Me: **…just read on. Oh, and here, gifts from Ruthless Angel of War. -hands the Muses the coke and pockey-  
**Muses: **Golly…Thank you.  
**Me: **-takes one coke- Thanks. :3 Let's go!

**Chapter Forty-Four: The Oil Baron and the (adopted) Oil Princess**  
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Tifa washed off a few wineglasses while Cid rushed out back and forth taking the trash out. The 7th Heaven Bar was all decorated for Christmas. Lights were hung everywhere outside and inside, trimming the walls and windows. A radio was set on the bar cupboard, playing cheery Christmas songs. Tifa and Cid were both wearing Santa hats in accordance to Christmas day. And at the left-center of the bar, a grand Christmas Tree stood, all decorated in it's glory. The bar had been expanded, and the space really gave the atmosphere a warm and cozy feel to it.

"I wonder why Cloud hasn't e-mailed me…?" she asked herself sadly, checking her e-mail. "Has he been busy, or is his e-mail down, or…?"

Cid came back inside, dusting his hands off. "I got rid of this weeks trash," he announced proudly.

"Thanks, Cid," said Tifa. She glanced at the clock. "Hmm…five minutes till we open up… What shall we do?"

Cid glanced at the front door, and said, "Maybe we should serve the first customers of the night…"

A rather large man had entered the bar, and a little girl followed him. He approached the bar and said to Cid, "You the owner of this bar?"

"Uh," started Cid, looking around for Tifa. But she was gone! "Well, second-in-command actually," said Cid. "Why?"

"The name's Barret. Barret Wallace," said Barret, holding out a hand to shake.

"Barret Wallace?" repeated Cid, returning the shake. "Hey, are you the same Barret Wallace from Corel? That oil-field worker?"

"Well, I was," sighed Barret. "Then I got into this freak accident, and lost my arm."

Cid had just noticed Barret's arm. "Whoa! Dude, what happened to it?"

"Just an accident," said Barret dismissively, waving a metallic hand. "I ain't about to go into the whole story about it."

"Hmm…if you say so," said Cid. He then noticed the girl. "Uh… pardon my saying so, but she doesn't look of age to me."

"Huh? Oh, no, this is my daughter!" said Barret with a laugh. "Marlene, say hello to Cid."

Marlene looked up, then looked down, muttering a shy "hello".

"She can be a bit shy around strangers," said Barret. "Other then that, she's pretty talkative."

"Hmm… Well, you need a drink?" asked Cid.

"Yes, please," said Barret. "You got a menu or something?"

"As a matter of fact, we do," said Cid, handing Barret a menu. "Choose any drink you like. And we even have a kids menu. For the kids," added Cid a bit unnecessarily.

"Thanks," said Barret, handing the kids menu to Marlene. "Hmm… Hey, who's this 'Tifa Lockhart'? It says that she owns the bar."

"Tifa is the owner of the bar, yes. She inherited it from her departed uncle."

"Tifa," repeated Barret with a laugh. "Sounds like a mushroom!"

Tifa had come back inside from tossing out a few more garbage bags that Cid had missed, and heard that. "Hey!" she shouted, putting her arms akimbo.

Barret looked back at Tifa and asked, "Who's this kid?"

"The mushroom," answered Cid with a smirk.

"Cid!"

"Oh--Oh! Sorry, miss," said Barret. "I was just speaking my mind."

"Huh. I'll bet," said Tifa. Then she noticed Marlene. "And this is…?"

"Uhm…my name's Marlene," said Marlene quietly.

"Hey, she introduced herself before I could," exclaimed Barret. "That's a good sign, it means she likes you! She's my daughter."

"Really? I…never would have guessed that," said Tifa slowly.

"Oh, I meant she's my adopted daughter," said Barret. "Her parents were good friends of mine. Her mother died after she was born, and her father was killed in the accident that cost me my arm. She had no family to go to, so I took her in."

"Oh…I'm sorry," said Tifa sympathetically.

"Yeah, that must be awful," said Cid.

"Well, it does no good to remember the sad past," said Barret. "After all, we're both still alive, right? That's a sign we must carry on, no matter what." Barret folded the menu and said, "I'd like a bottle of the Darker Star '89."

"One Darker Star coming up," said Tifa, heading for behind the bar to prepare the drink.

"And for the little miss?" asked Cid.

"Uh…milk if you don't mind," said Marlene, sitting up straighter.

"Plain milk? Or strawberry milk? Or chocolate?"

"Cid!" scolded Tifa, giving Cid a scowl. "Just give her a milk."

"Right, sorry Tifa," said Cid, heading into the kitchen.

Marlene watched him walk away, and asked Tifa, "Is everyone in this city on drugs?"

Everyone stared at Marlene. Cid stood with a gape, holding the glass of milk. Tifa gaped, placing the glass of Darker Star '89. Barret cleared his throat nosily, and said to Marlene, "That's a very rude thing to say, Marlene."

"Sorry," said Marlene.

"That's…one spirited kid," said Cid at last, placing the milk in front of Marlene.

"Thanks."

After Barret finished his drink, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "You have a 'help-wanted' sign hanging on the door."

"Yes, and…?" asked Tifa, prompting Barret to continue.

Barret shifted in his seat. "I'd…like to ask for a job here. I had to quit my oil-field job due to my injury, and I need a job to take care of Marlene. Could you hire us? I know how to make really mean drinks, and Marlene is very responsible for a 7-year-old girl, she could wash dishes or something."

Cid turned to Tifa, who thought about it for a few seconds. "Well? Are we gonna hire them? Our hands are a bit full as it is."

"Yeah…you're right," said Tifa. "All right! I'll hire you both!" she flipped them both a contract. "Just sign there and you're hired!"

Barret read the contracts, and he and Marlene signed them. "All right!" said Barret. "Glad you hired me!"

"Helping hands are always welcome for hire," said Tifa with a smile.

"And…we could stay here, right?" asked Barret. With a nervous smile, he admitted, "We really don't have anywhere to stay."

"Hey, don't worry about it," said Tifa. "We've expanded this place, so there's plenty of room to stay."

"Thanks so much!" said Marlene earnestly. "It means so much to us! You really don't mind if we stay here?"

"Hey, if it's all right with Tifa, it's all right with me," said Cid. "She's my employer, after all. And it'll be nice to have male company around. A naggy mother hen is not much fun to talk to…"

"Naggy mother hen!" repeated Tifa incredulously. "I'm not naggy!"

"Oh, of course you're not naggy," teased Cid. He put on a high-pitched voice and said, "'Cid, wash the dishes!' 'Cid, please don't do that in front of everyone!' 'Cid, for goodness sake, zip up your vest!'"

"Now that's an exaggeration!" exclaimed Tifa.

Barret chuckled and said to Marlene, "I think we'll fit along here quite well."

"Hmm-hmm!" agreed Marlene, drinking her milk.

Tifa smiled at her two new hires. "You're just in time, here come the customers."

Barret looked back at the door and saw a whole stream of customers coming in. _My first day of work… I hope I do good, for Marlene's sake._

**Meanwhile, at Shinra Company…**

Cloud entered his room, falling back-first onto the bed. _Tomorrow's Christmas,_ he realized all of a sudden. _Maybe Tifa sent me a party invitation… Why didn't I realize that before? I haven't checked my e-mail in forever…_ he sat up and went to his laptop, turning it on and checking his e-mail. _Ah…! I have one unread e-mail from Tifa!_

_**To: cs(at-symbol)yahoo(dot)com**_

_**From: fists(underscore)of(underscore)fury(at-symbol)yahoo(dot)com**_

_**Hey, Cloud! It's been a while since we last communicated! You didn't forget about me, did you! L I missed you! **_

_**But hey, all negative thoughts aside, how are you doing? I been worried ever since you didn't meet us at Nibelheim. I later learned that your name was cleared by that pretty boy Sephiroth. How did a guy like that clear your name? As long as your innocence is proved, I'm fine!**_

_**I got two new hired hands for the bar: Barret and Marlene Wallace. Father and adopted daughter. They have good personalities, and they'll especially be bodies at the Christmas Party. Aeris is gonna be there, too. You and your friends gonna come too? I hope you do! If not, then I'll send you your present. Do try to make it, okay! See you!**_

_**Sincerely yours, Tifa Lockhart**_

"Christmas party…" repeated Cloud to himself, looking down slightly. _I could never come to her Christmas parties either… I could just sneak out again with Zack. And this time I'll remember to invite Sephy._

He was about to go get Zack when Zack entered the room. "Hey, Cloud!" he called. "You…you feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm feeling much better," said Cloud with a smile. "I'm sorry I worried you earlier today."

"Don't mention it," said Zack. "I always am here for you. Anyway, what did your e-mail say?"

"Tifa's inviting me and you and Sephy to her party. I was thinking…"

Zack smirked. "I know exactly what you're thinking."

"Then we go taking off on Fenrir later on tonight to help with preparations and such?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Zack.

"All right," said Cloud, turning back to the laptop and sending a response to Tifa accepting her invitation.

Zack watched Cloud write the e-mail, letting a small silence envelope the room. Then suddenly, Zack shouted, "WHOA!"

"Awa!" wailed Cloud in surprise, jumping 10 feet in the air. "Za-Zack!" he asked. "What was that for!"

"To see how easily you're surprised," said Zack. "You surprise easily."

"I-I'm not surprised easily," stammered Cloud. "It was just unexpected!"

"Right…" Zack leaned back in his chair, watching Cloud type up the rest of the response. After Cloud hit the 'send' button, Zack suddenly barked, "Cloud, stand up!"

Cloud started and hurriedly stood up. "Ok-Okay!"

Zack blinked. "Twirl about the room?" Cloud hurriedly did as he was told. Zack sighed with a smile. "Docile too."

"Wha--? I'm not docile," said Cloud, sitting down at the table feeling slightly dizzy.

"If you say so."

"Ye-Yeah," said Cloud. He regained composure and sat up. "How about you go get Fenrir ready, and I'll tell Sephy about the party. Okay?"

"Okay!" agreed Zack, standing up. "Let's go!"

Zack and Cloud hurried down the stairs while the rest of the SOLDIERs went to lunch. "See you in a little bit!" said Cloud, waving and hurrying to Sephiroth's room. He entered the room and called, "Sephy!"

Sephiroth opened his eyes. "Hmm…?" he grunted, then sat up and yawned. "Who dares to disturb my nap…?"

"…you fell asleep on the couch?" asked Cloud, coming over behind the couch. "I didn't know that Sephy did that," he said with a smile.

_Oh, it's him. Well, then it's okay I got awoken…_ "What do you want, Cloud?" asked Sephiroth tiredly.

"I wanted to tell you about a Christmas party that Tifa invited me, Zack, and you to. You got mad last time because I forgot to invite you. This time, I remembered. So, you wanna come?"

Sephiroth stared at Cloud. "You woke me up to tell me I'm invited to a Christmas Party, when I'm not even Christian?"

"No, no, Christmas isn't strictly a Christian holiday!" said Cloud hurriedly. "It-It's a gift giving day! Everyone exchanges gifts with the ones they love! Christmas is about sharing, the joys of family and life, and the fact that we're all family!"

"…you said 'family' twice," Sephiroth pointed out. "But it's all right," he said before Cloud could say any more. "I'm coming."

"Oh, that's good," said Cloud in relief. "Okay, come with me! Zack has Fenrir waiting outside!"

"We're gonna take that motorcycle along?" asked Sephiroth in distaste. "Can't we just fly there?"

"It's too cold and snowy for flying," said Cloud. "And if we take Fenrir, we'll get there faster."

"…sigh, fine," sighed Sephiroth, standing up ad following Cloud to where Zack was waiting.

"Okay, we're ready to go, huh?" asked Zack. "Right, hop on behind me."

"I can't ride it this time?" asked Cloud sadly as he hopped on behind Zack.

"…no, not today," said Zack slowly, thinking about how fast Cloud likes to go on Fenrir.

"And I'm supposing I get to ride behind Cloud, is that it?" asked Sephiroth.

"Yeah, looks like it," said Cloud. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Yes, I mind…but I'll hop on anyway." Sephiroth hopped on behind Cloud, and Zack revved Fenrir up and sped off (slowly) to Midgar for Tifa's Christmas party.

**Back at the bar…**

"Mistletoe, Aeris!" demanded Tifa. Aeris had arrived, and was carrying an armful of mistletoe.

Aeris had a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It is a Christmas tradition, yes?"

"Well, yeah, but suppose you get stuck under it with someone you don't want to…you know…"

"Then give them a small peck on the cheek," said Aeris, hanging up some mistletoe on various places in the bar.

Tifa sighed. "Great… I never liked mistletoe…" She looked towards the door expectantly. "Cloud should be here soon…he said he and Zack and Sephiroth would come…"

Sure enough, tires squealing was heard, and an engine turning off, then footsteps crunching the snow. Cloud opened the door and announced, "We're here for the party, Tifa!"

"Yay! I knew you'd make it!" said Tifa.

"Let us help with preparations," said Zack.

"Then start by helping me hang some mistletoe upstairs," said Aeris, handing Zack the rest of the mistletoe.

"Ooh, mistletoe! Aeris's feeling naughty!" teased Zack, hurrying upstairs to hang the mistletoe.

Aeris dusted her hands off and turned to Sephiroth. "And how do you plan on helping with preparations? Christmas is a group effort."

"…I don't generally help people, but…I guess I can sweep the floor or something. Or cook something. I can cook pretty good."

"All right, then join Barret in the kitchen, he and Marlene are cooking everything," said Tifa, nodding towards the kitchen door.

"Who?" asked Cloud.

"The new employees I mentioned, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" Cloud looked around. "What can I do?"

"Help me wash dishes," said Tifa. "We'll need plenty of them."

"All right," said Cloud, following Tifa to the kitchen to wash dishes.

Cid came back inside from a cigarette break. "Hey, where's my broom?" he sighed. "I was in charge of sweeping the floor…"  
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**Christmas dinner next chapter, along with a WONDERFUL romantic surprise! Here's a hint: it involves mistletoe and Sephiroth. HAH! I'm soo naughty:3 See you next chapter!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Just think, this is gonna be Cloud's first…

**A/N: **I'm soo gonna enjoy doing this chapter. Just read on and you'll see what I mean.

**Chapter Forty-Five: A Sweet Midwinter Surprise**  
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Preparations were near completion. The whole group was doing their part in helping get ready for Christmas Day.

"Hey, Mushroom, where do you keep the oil?" asked Barret.

"It's on top shelf in the cupboard next to the fridge," answered Tifa. "And I asked you already to call me Tifa."

"Hey, nicknames are my signs of friendship," said Barret. "I meant no offense by it. Isn't that right, Spikey?" he asked Cloud.

Cloud didn't answer. _I don't like being called Spikey…_

"Sorry about Cloud. He's a little shy, too," said Tifa. "How's the turkey coming along?"

"It's coming along brilliantly," said Marlene, who was decorating a cake. "I checked it myself a few minutes ago."

"Is it safe for a little kid to check turkeys in hot ovens?" asked Cid dubiously.

"I did it all the time back home. I had to play housewife and daughter to my dad. I'm an excellent cook, even though my new dad won't let me near the stove," said Marlene, pretending to cast an annoyed look at Barret.

"Just call me the overprotective father," smiled Barret.

"Uh-huh…" said Cid slowly.

Sephiroth entered the kitchen with a bag of supplies. "I managed to buy some good stuff for cooking with," he announced.

"Good, bring 'em over here," said Barret, patting the counter next to the stove.

Sephiroth set the bag onto the counter and walked over to Cloud and Tifa. "How are the dishes coming along?"

"We've washed half of them," said Tifa. "They should be done by the time food is done."

"Good, seeing as dinner is almost ready," said Barret.

"Anyway…the tree's kinda empty," said Tifa, drying a plate off. "We need more presents to fill it up."

"And let me guess… You want me, Cloud, and Zack to go present shopping," guessed Sephiroth.

"Right on."

"But I can't stop washing these dishes," said Cloud worryingly. "I don't want to leave you with all the work…"

"Hey, the presents are more important then the dishes," said Tifa. "Really, you three should get going. Cid and I will handle the rest."

Cid bumped his head against the wall in surprise of hearing his name. "Ouch," he said, rubbing his head. "I'm coming, Tifa…"

Cloud blinked and followed Sephiroth out to the front of the bar. "Where could we go shopping? Everywhere would be full, wouldn't it?"

"Eh, we'll see when we get their," answered Sephiroth. "Hey, Zack, we're leaving now!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Really? But we just got here!" some crashing was heard, and Zack hurried down the stairs. "But I was decorating the upstairs! We can't leave yet! Let's stay for breakfast! I mean dinner! For Christmas!"

"We are staying, Zack!" said Cloud hurriedly. "It's just that Tifa wants us to go Christmas shopping so the Christmas Tree isn't so empty."

"Oh, okay then!" said Zack cheerfully. "Let's go then!"

The three of them bundled up into warm jackets, scarves, and boots. "Well… where to first?" asked Cloud.

All three of them stood there for a few minutes, deciding what to get for everyone. _Maybe I'll get everyone a blanket or something…_ thought Zack.

_Maybe I'll get everyone something…cute. Or whatever,_ thought Cloud.

_Maybe I'll get Cloud a collar…_ thought Sephiroth with a smirk to himself.

The three stood there for a few more minutes, then hurriedly rushed to various stores to buy Christmas presents for everyone.

**After a long day of preparation…**

It was finally Christmas Day! After spending all of Christmas Eve cleaning and cooking and getting everything ready, all was ready to go.

"PRESENTS!!" yelled Cid, stampeding downstairs.

"YAY!!!" yelled Marlene, running down after him.

"Uhm… isn't it generally the youngest who get excited for presents first?" asked Barret, coming downstairs with a cup of coffee.

Tifa and Aeris followed Barret. "What a beautiful Christmas morning," said Aeris cheerfully. Tifa just half-groaned in agreement, drinking some hot chocolate.

Zack came down after, half-dragging-half-leading a tired Cloud downstairs with him, humming Christmas songs cheerfully. "Tis the season to be jolly, falalalalalalala!"

Cloud rubbed his eyes. "Why do we have to get up soo early on Christmas…?"

Sephiroth came trudging down after them, heaving a huge yawn. "I barely got any sleep last night…"

"Come on, you all complaining too much!" said Cid, picking up one the presents and giving it a shake.. "The earlier you get up, the better the presents are!"

"How does our sleeping patterns affect the presents?" asked Tifa groggily.

"It's a magical thing. You mortals wouldn't understand," said Marlene.

"Yeah, whatever…" muttered Sephiroth.

Everyone gathered around the Christmas Tree, gathering their presents and opening them. (for the sake of saving time and space here, I'll go through Cloud's presents only.)

As everyone else opened their presents, Cloud opened the first one, a present from Marlene. "Aaw…how cute. She gave me a Moogle doll…" Cloud smiled and set the doll on his lap, opening the next present, one from Cid. "Uhm…an old shirt…?" asked Cloud to himself, unfolding the shirt. It appeared to be a light blue T-shirt with the words "SOUTH OF THE BORDER FOREVER!!" written on it. "Wow…thanks…" he set it down on top of the Moogle doll and opens the next present, which was a small parcel from Aeris. "Flower seeds…?" he asked, reading the note. "I'll plant these sure…" he smiled and set it down on top of the T-shirt, opening Tifa's present next. "Oh..! A framed photo of me, her, and her father… I forgot she had that cute blue dress…" he smiled fondly at the photo and set it down, opening Barret's present next. "A Chocobo doll…?" Cloud felt confused for a second, then realized it. "Ah…! Marlene gives the Moogle, Barret gives the Chocobo. Got it." he sets the Chocobo doll down and opens the next present, Sephiroth's present. "…?! A collar…?" Cloud held it up curiously. It was a simple collar, one designed not for animals or Chocobo, but for people. "Why would Sephy give me something like this…?" he stared at it for a few seconds, then sets it with the rest of the gifts. "Ah..! Zack's gift…!" he opened it and pulled out a… "Ooh…! A little dolly… of me…?!" Cloud felt himself go red a little, and he hugged the doll close. "He made his for me…?"

Christmas music played in the background, and Cloud felt himself get lost amidst his own fantasy realm…

"Cloud? Hey, earth to Cloud!" called Marlene, waving a paper fan in front of Cloud's face.

"Wha….?" asked Cloud dreamily, still holding the dolly of himself.

"Uh… we're heading for Aeris's church now?" asked Marlene. "For Christmas Mass and hopeful prayers if you're not Christian?"

"…Oh! Right!" Cloud hurriedly stood up, still holding the dolly. "Is everyone else ahead of me?"

"Yeah, they asked me to wait here for you."

"Ah-ah! I'm sorry! Let's go!" Cloud rushed out of the bar to the church, Marlene rushing behind him.

"Wait for me!"

Cloud and Marlene made it to the church, and Cloud looked around in surprise. There were plenty of people here. "People…people come to this church?"

"I guess they do," said Marlene. "I'm new here."

"Right…sorry. Where are we sitting?"

"Over here," answered Marlene, taking Cloud towards the middle rows. "I got our daydreaming straggler," she announced quietly.

"Good," whispered Tifa. "Now we can pray and wish for a good upcoming new year."

Cloud sad down next to Sephiroth. "I wonder what I should pray for this year…" he pondered to himself.

_I know exactly what I want,_ thought Sephiroth, glancing down at Cloud.

Aeris had been walking amongst the people in the church, handing them flower seeds. She handed the last of them to an elderly couple, and dusted her hands off, sitting next to Zack. "I feel like I've scattered the seeds of tomorrow," she said. "It's a wonderful feeling…"

"This truly is the most wonderful time of the year," agreed Zack. "I've already made my midwinter wish."

"I made mine," said Cid. "I hope it comes true."

"Any wish and dream can come true," said Aeris with a smile. "It depends on how bad you want it, and how hard you work for it."

"But that's so hard," sighed Cid. "Why can a fairy or something just wave a magic wand and make it happen?"

"Cause they'll give you _exactly _what you want," said Zack. "According to Aeris, you ought to be very careful what you wish for."

"I guess…" said Cid slowly.

Cloud listened to the conversation, and looked down at the floor. _I know what I want to wish for…but how can I make it come true…? I'm pretty sure I work hard enough for it… Maybe Cid's right, there should be a fairy or something that waves a magic wand and makes wishes come true…_

**A few hours later…**

Everyone walked back to the bar. "Now we can have dinner!" announced Tifa. "Everybody, sit down and dig in!"

"Yay!" cheered the group, and they all sat down at the dinner table and ate and enjoyed their Christmas dinner. A warm atmosphere filled the air as everyone chatted while Christmas music played in the background.

Sephiroth, however, hardly paid attention to it. He kept his eyes on Cloud. _I made my midwinter wish…and I know exactly how to make it come true…_

"Hey, who took the last turkey leg?" asked Cid. "I was saving it for me."

"Were you?" asked Tifa, a turkey leg in her hand. "So sorry about that, Cid."

"Meanie…"

"I'm stuffed!" said Barret. "I'm ready to call it a night!"

"Me too!" said Marlene.

"I'm a bit tired myself," said Aeris.

"Lets get some sleep then," said Zack.

Everyone nodded agreement and got up to go upstairs. Except for Sephiroth. As Cloud was about to follow them, he reached forward and grabbed Cloud's wrist. "Wait, Cloud," he hissed. "Come with me really quick."

"Come with you?" asked Cloud. "What do you mean? I'm tired…"

"It's just really quick," said Sephiroth. "And don't question me, just come on. I'm your personal trainer after all, and you need to build your immunity to cold."

"…all right," said Cloud with a resigned sigh, letting himself be dragged out by Sephiroth.

They walked down a snowy street, not talking for a few minutes. Then Sephiroth said, "I bet your wondering why I gave you a collar, aren't you?"

"Huh? Well, I…guess I was a bit curious about that…" said Cloud. "Why did you give me a collar for Christmas?"

Sephiroth looked up at the sky. "There's something I want…"

"Something you want?" repeated Cloud. "Like what?"

"…Cloud, do you really like snow so much?"

"Yes, I do," answered Cloud, looking up in confusion at Sephiroth. "Why are you asking weird questions like these? Is something on your mind?"

"Yes…something is," said Sephiroth. They had arrived at the town square, where an enormous Christmas Tree stood, decorated by the people of Midgar. Sephiroth watched the Christmas lights for a few seconds, then looked down at Cloud. "You know, Cloud, I… I think you should give up on Zack."

"Eh?! Give up on Zack?!" yelled Cloud. He looked around and said more quietly, "I don't want to give up on him yet…not when I think I still have a chance."

"A chance at what? It's obvious how Zack feels for you. Don't you know how he sees you?"

Cloud sighed sadly, looking at the ground. "I…feel like I can change how he feels for me… One day, he'll smile upon me like a…like a…"

"Were you going to say 'like a lover'?" asked Sephiroth in a teasing way.

Cloud blushed and shook his head. "No, no, I--I wasn't going to say that!"

"Then why didn't you finish the sentence?"

"…I-I'm getting cold!" stammered Cloud. "I'm heading back now!"

"Oh, fine, then. We'll go together," said Sephiroth, following Cloud back to the bar. "I'll tell you about the collar when we go back to Shinra."

"Fine by me," muttered Cloud, jamming his hands in his pockets.

A few minutes later, they got back to the bar. _Now's my chance,_ thought Sephiroth, looking upward. "Oh!" he cried, tripping over his feet onto Cloud.

"Awa!" yelped Cloud. "You're squishing me, get off!"

"So sorry," said Sephiroth, not sounding sorry at all as he helped himself and Cloud up. "I must have tripped over my own feet."

"That's all right," said Cloud, rubbing his face. He tried to take a step forward, but something stopped him. "Huh? Why can't I move?"

"That's odd…unless…" Sephiroth looked up. "Oh…look at that, Cloud. We're under the mistletoe."

_…?! We are?!_ Cloud looked upward, and saw that indeed he and Sephiroth were standing under one of Aeris's magic mistletoe.

"We can't move until the kiss has been performed," said Sephiroth matter-of-factly. "My, my, my…"

Cloud looked down, feeling himself blush. _I--I don't like Sephy's tone… _he blushed even deeper. _Did…Sephy plan this?!? He wants to steal my first kiss?!_

"Cloud, haven't I told you once before to not hide your face from me?" With a smile, Sephiroth took Cloud's face by the chin and lifted Cloud's face up so Cloud could look up into Sephiroth's eyes. "You…have nice eyes. Don't hide them from the world."

"…" Cloud found himself staring up into the green of Sephiroth's eyes. "Se-Sephy…"

Without warning, Sephiroth bent closer to Cloud and kissed him. He held himself there for about a minute or two before he slowly pulled away. "Good night, Cloud," said Sephiroth, releasing Cloud's face and heading upstairs.

Cloud stood rooted on the spot for a few seconds, feeling his heart pound wildly inside him. "Oh…my…goodness…" he gasped, slumping against a wall. He put a hand to his lips. "Sephy…you…sure can…" he slid down the wall. "Wow…you sure can kiss…" he laid his head against the wall, a sense of dizziness overcoming him. "I feel so…dizzy… Did Sephy do something…?" Cloud fainted dead away against the wall.

Sephiroth had stood at the top of the stairs and heard that. _Oh, Cloud, that was only the beginning… Much, much more will come, just you wait. _He had grabbed something from the table and stuffed in under his shirt. _You _will_ be mine, Cloud…one way or another…_  
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** D Wow… I feel pretty dizzy myself…  
Mario: **For goodness sake…  
**Nana: **She's gonna faint.  
**Sesshomaru: **Somebody catch her!  
**Yami: **Don't worry, I'll catch her! Hold her in my arms! -attempts to catch Fairy Red-  
**-slips through Yami's arms to the floor-  
Yami: **…sorry.  
**Mario: **I guess we have to sign off this chapter.  
**Chikara: **I guess..  
**Mario: **Well… all together now…  
**Muses: **Thank you for reading this chapter! See you later! And don't forget to review! Bye!


	47. Chapter 47

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **A six-part mini comedy upon the new year. And then we return to drama. Hopefully.

**A/N: **Hey, the world needs laughter now! I'll provide some laughter. For now. But yes, I'll be doing a six part funny episode-thing line up. I hope you enjoy. :3 Read on!

**Chapter Forty-Six: The Advent of the New Year! Part 1**  
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It was the day after Christmas. And Cloud was still fainted dead away on the wall when Tifa came downstairs. "…?! Cloud?" she asked, hurrying over to Cloud. "Hey, are you all right?"

Cloud stirred a little and opened his eyes slightly. "…Ah…Tifa…"

"What happened to you? Did somebody sneak you an alcohalic eggnog?" asked Tifa, putting her arms akimbo.

"No, nothing like that…" said Cloud absent-mindedly.

"…you know what, I don't wanna know," sighed Tifa, heading for the kitchen. "Sit at the table, Cloud, I'll make us some breakfast."

"Sure…" sighed Cloud, crawling onto a chair. _Wow…I still feel so dizzy…_

Cid came trudging downstairs slowly. "Mornin'," he mumbled to Cloud.He noticed Cloud's expression as he sat down at the table, and remarked, "Look's like somebody's on cloud nine."

Cloud stared at Cid. "That's not funny," he said.

"No, really, you look really dizzy and giddy. What happened to you?"

"Oh, a little something…"

"A little something," repeated Cid. "Right…"

"Good morning, my peeps!" said Zack cheerfully. "What a beautiful Post-Christmas morning!" He sat down next to Cloud. "I see you're cheerful this morning too!"

"A bit dizzy, actually," said Cloud, staring at the table.

"Dizzy?" repeated Zack concernedly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," assured Cloud. "I'm only a little dizzy."

"Hmm…if you say so," said Zack, eyeing Cloud. _I heard Sephiroth mention the mistletoe and the kiss as he got ready to go to sleep…Did Sephiroth seriously…?_

Tifa stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Just Barret, Marlene, Sephiroth, and Aeris left to awaken, huh? Someone go wake them up?"

"They can wake themselves up," said Cid.

"In that case, you go wake them up. It's well past ten AM."

Cid scowled at Tifa and went upstairs to wake up the sleepys.

Tifa watched him go and looked at Cloud. "Zack, is this a SOLDIER thing I need to be wary of, or is Cloud seriously dizzy now?"

"Uh…it--yeah, it's a SOLDIER thing," stammered Zack. _How on earth am I gonna tell Tifa that Cloud's dizzy now because his feelings are seriously confused… Any SOLDIER will start acting like that if something happened to them to make their feelings confused…I suppose that means that Sephiroth really has…?_

Cid came downstairs leading a parade of sleepys. "I've awoken them, but I wasn't thanked for it," said Cid.

Tifa eyed Cid. "It's just a paper cut, a slap mark, and a grazed ear. You'll be fine."

"Millions of people in all the worlds have died by a simple paper cut," retorted Cid with a scowl. "Don't you know that?" Muttering to himself, Cid pushed past Tifa to the kitchen.

"…no, I didn't actually, but I think you're being melodramatic," muttered Tifa back, entering the kitchen.

Aeris, Sephiroth, Marlene, and Barret sat at the table. "I slept in this morning…" yawned Aeris politely. "I stayed up to late last night."

"Tell me about it, I slept in something fierce," said Barret.

"I enjoy sleeping in during and after Christmas day," said Sephiroth. He glanced down at Cloud and asked with a smirk, "You sleep well, Cloud?"

Cloud glanced up at him a little, then thunked his head on the table, feeling himself redden a bit. _What--What a jerk…asking me a question like that after what he did last night…_

Zack looked between Cloud and Sephiroth, and asked, "When are we leaving? After breakfast, I suppose?"

"Yeah, after breakfast," agreed Cloud.

"Leaving?" repeated Marlene. "But you three just got here…"

"We weren't supposed to be here," answered Zack. "We kinda snuck here from Shinra Company to spend Christmas at the 7th Heaven Bar with you guys."

"Why weren't you supposed to be here?" asked Barret curiously. "Last time I heard, SOLDIERs were allowed to visit family and friends outside Shinra for holidays."

"When did you last hear that?" asked Cloud.

"Uhm…about three and a half years ago."

"Wow, you're sure running on outdated software," remarked Zack with a grin.

"Outdated software?" repeated Barret indignantly. "I'll have you know that this metal arm is _not_ computer."

"What--No, that's not what I meant," said Zack hurriedly, waving a hand. "It--It's just SOLDIER humor there….you know what, never mind."

"SOLDIER humor?" repeated Barret.

"Just drop it, man, I'm sorry."

"Fine, sure," shrugged Barret.

Tifa came out of the kitchen with three plates of pancakes. "One for me, one for Cloud, and one for…" she held the plate uncertainly before her, then smiled and said, "here you go, Marlene."

"Hey, what about the rest of us?" asked Sephiroth.

"Yours is still cooking, be patient," said Tifa. As she came into the kitchen Cid walked out of the kitchen, a band-aid around his finger. "You're evil," he said to Sephiroth. "And so are you and you," he said to Aeris and Barret.

"You shouldn't try to awaken me when I'm still sleeping," said Sephiroth.

"How can you call me evil when you were the one who was all over me?" asked Aeris.

Zack glared at Cid and Cid said hurriedly, "I was shaking you awake! Tifa told me to wake you all up!"

"You can't surprise a 23-year-old Corel man from his deep sleep or you'll get shot. Didn't you know that?" asked Barret.

Cid sighed wearily. "Fine, fine, harp on Cid! Cid was only trying to do a good deed, and listen to his employer obediently, but noo, instead, Cid is surrounded by ungrateful sleepys…" muttering to himself (in the third person) Cid walked outside with a packet of cigarettes.

"…he'll be fine," said Cloud reassuringly.

"Okay," said Marlene, eating her pancakes.

Tifa came out five minutes later with the rest of the pancakes. "Hey, where's Cid? He was in charge of dishes this morning."

"He went outside to smoke," answered Barret.

Tifa sighed. "I told him to break that habit, it'll get him killed one day. Oh, well, then his pancakes can go cold until he comes inside.

"Yum!" said Zack, taking his plate of pancakes. "These are good!" he exclaimed after taking a bite. "Aeris can't cook like this."

"I can cook," argued Aeris.

"Yeah, cook things that need to be boiled, like pasta, eggs, and oatmeal," teased Zack.

"What about you?" asked Aeris. "I never see you cook anything. You SOLDIERS get your food pre-made, don't you know that?"

"So? I never have to worry about cooking. It's a pointless life skill anyway."

"If you had to cook your own food in your own house on your own life without anyone to help you, I'm sure you'd feel differently," said Aeris calmly, taking a bite of her pancakes.

"Yeah, yeah," said Zack nonchalantly.

Everyone else finished their breakfast as Tifa turned the radio on. "They're still playing Christmas music," she commented. "Huh, that's odd…"

"What radio station is that?" asked Barret. "If it's Corel's station, they don't stop Christmas music until New Years Day."

Tifa checked the station. "…oh. I see."

"I like Christmas music," said Marlene.

"Me too," said Aeris.

Sephiroth sighed. "Aren't we leaving yet?"

"But you didn't even touch your food," said Tifa. "Any friend of Cloud's is a friend of mine, and if you haven't touched your food, then something must be wrong."

Sephiroth sighed impatiently, took off his gloves, and patted his hands all over the food. "There. Now I've touched it. Happy?"

Tifa made a "I was just trying to help" face and sat down at the table.

"Speaking of happy," said Cid, coming back inside, "I was thinking that we could do a happy hour for the next 6 days. You know, as a New Years special?"

"I'll consider it," sighed Tifa.

"We--we should get going," stammered Cloud. Sephiroth had just turned a staring gaze onto Cloud, unnerving Cloud.

Zack looked between Cloud and Sephiroth, and said, "I guess we'll go then. We'll see you later, Tifa, Aeris. Barret, Cid, Marlene. Bye."

"See you later. And Happy Early New Years," said Aeris, waving to the three.

Zack waved over his shoulder and followed Sephiroth and Cloud to Fenrir. "You all have your presents?"

"Yes," answered Cloud.

"Let's go then," said Zack cheerfully, hopping on Fenrir.

Cloud hesitated, glancing up at Sephiroth. Sephiroth smirked and said, "We must get going, yes?"

"Y-Yes," agreed Cloud, hopping on behind Zack. Sephiroth hopped on behind Cloud and Zack sped off (slowly) back to Shinra Company.

**A few hours later, when they get back…**

Zack parked Fenrir and the three of them hopped off. "It's about lunchtime now, so let's hurry on to out rooms and then come down for lunch. They can't see the presents, otherwise they'll know about where we've been."

"Okay," agreed Cloud and the three hurried to their own rooms. Cloud closed his door and emptied the bag of presents. "Let's see…the T-shirt, the photo, the seeds, the Chocobo and Moogle dolls, the collar…" Cloud paused, staring at the collar. _Sephy said he'd tell me about the collar when we got back… Maybe he'll tell me tomorrow or something…_ he looked at the presents and noticed that something was missing. "…! The dolly of me that Zack gave! It-It's gone!" Cloud frantically searched the bag up and down. "Oh, no! Did I forget it at the bar?" he hurried to his laptop and entered his e-mail.

_**To: fists (underscore) of (underscore) fury (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com**_

_**From: cs (at-symbol) yahoo (dot) com **_

_**Tifa! It's horrible! I lost the present I got from Zack!**_

_**It's a doll, a dolly of me. I showed it to you, remember? I think I might have left it at the bar. If you find it, tell me, all right? I'm sorry to have to trouble you like this, but I don't want Zack to know I lost it. Thank you for understanding, Tifa. Cloud Strife**_

After he sent the e-mail, he sighed. "I hope Tifa or I find it soon… Or maybe it got mixed up n Zack or Sephiroth's bags… I'll ask them later…"

**With Sephiroth…**

Sephiroth set the bag of presents down on the table and walked to his room. He sat down on the bed and pulled out Cloud's dolly from under his shirt. "What a fine gift this is," he remarked. "Maybe I'll keep this with me for a while…" he set it down on his desk, and pulled out Cloud's black ribbon. "It makes a very fie addition to my room…" he tied the black ribbon around the dolly's neck and left the room with a self-satisfied smirk.  
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**MWAHAHAH!!! Part one of six is complete! See you in part two!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **A Turks interlude starring Vincent Valentine? Is Fairy Red feeling all right?

**A/N: **I don't have to love Vincent to use him in my fanfic. He _was_ part of the AVALANCHE group, and I hope to let them all star in their own chapter in these chapters. Here's the schedule, AAMOF.

Part 1: Returning to Shinra Company with Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth  
Part 2: Reeve's Trick House with Cait Sith and Vincent Valentine  
Part 3: Reeve's White Magical Scooter Miracle with Vincent and Yuffie  
Part 4: Cid's trip to the Forgotten City and meeting a peculiar person there  
Part 5: Aeris and Tifa compare their men in their lives, and find Red XIII  
Part 6: Barret takes Marlene and the whole 7th Heaven Bar crew to Corel

Anyway, that's the schedule. And a small taster at that! You'll have to stay tuned to see them all! MWAHAHAH! Read on, loyal readers, read on!

**Chapter Forty-Seven: The Advent of the New Year! Part 2**  
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"Reeve has to see me right now?" asked Vincent in surprise.

Tseng nodded. "I just got the e-mail now, and he wants to see you right away. It's a…" he checked the e-mail. "…Let's see, a 'matter of the utmost importance'."

"Hmm…" muttered Vincent, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Why set up a meeting of the utmost importance with me…?"

"I don't know, but you'd better get ready. He says you have to be there by 7:00 tonight."

"Tonight!" exclaimed Vincent. "But I have something to do tonight!"

"And what is that something?" asked Tseng, crossing his arms. "Just try telling that to Reeve. He outranks me by being the lead scientists assistant, along with his…other job. I can't convince him to let you off tonight or any other night."

"But his partner," said Vincent. "She's…"

"She's…?" prompted Tseng.

"She's…sneaky. I don't like her."

"If you mean Yuffie Kirisangi…"

"Yeah, that hyper little girl with an obsession with materia!" exclaimed Vincent. "Ever since she laid eyes on me, she's been stalking me! Everywhere I am, there she is! I'm getting a burrito for lunch, so is she! I'm changing my shoes, there she is! I brush my teeth, there she is!"

"Maybe she has a crush on you," suggested Tseng. "It's not my problem, Vincent. Go deal with it on your own."

"But Tseng," started Vincent. Tseng was already walking away. "…? Hey! My man?" Tseng closed the door. "Pheh…great. Reeve meeting tonight, and Yuffie might be there…" Muttering to himself, Vincent grabbed his jacket and left his room, heading for breakfast.

**Meanwhile, with Cloud…**

Cloud hurried to Zack's room. "Zack! Are you awake yet? I have to talk to you!"

Zack looked back in surprise. "Cloud? What's wrong?"

Cloud sat down on Zack's bed, catching his breath. "The…doll you gave me… Have--Have you seen it?"

"Oh, my present to you? No, I haven't. Why, have you lost it?"

"Lost…? No, I… I didn't mean to lose it! I thought it was in my bag, but it wasn't! Maybe it got mixed up in your bag, or maybe it got lost in Sephy's…"

"Cloud, calm down!" exclaimed Zack in surprise. "Don't worry, we'll find it. I'll check my bags now." Zack stood up and strode over to his bag of presents, looking through them. "Hmm…no, I don't see it in here…"

"Oh, I'm a terrible friend!" cried Cloud, grabbing his head. "How could I lose such an important, well-made gift!?"

"Cloud, why are you so worried about it?" asked Zack, smiling. "It's okay if you lost it at the bar or with Sephiroth. I won't hate you for the rest of my life because you lost a gift. I still love you, no matter what!"

Cloud gasped and looked up at Zack. "You--You just said… You just said that you love me no matter what…?!"

"…yes, I did," agreed Zack confusedly.

Cloud smiled in relief, and looked down bashfully. "You--you say it so openly…Do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do, silly!" laughed Zack, walking over to Cloud and giving him a quick hug. "You're very important to me, so I don't want to ever see you sad or upset, okay?" _Just like the son I wish you could've been to me…_

Cloud felt himself go completely warm and red in Zack's arms. He sighed dreamily and put his hands to his cheeks. "Zack, you're precious…"

"Aw, that's nice of you," said Zack, letting go and sitting next to Cloud. "…? Are you cold?"

"Huh? Why ask that?" asked Cloud a bit dreamily still.

"You're holding your face with your hands… You still dizzy?"

"Dizzy?" asked Cloud. _Of course, I'm not dreaming…I still am a bit dizzy…No, I'm not confused… I _know_ I like Zack…but…_

_**Flash: Sephiroth bandaged Cloud's left hand. "…maybe I should be more careful…" he murmured to himself…**_

_**Flash: I wish there was something I could do to help," said Zack sadly, placing a cool cloth on Cloud's forehead… **_

_They… both are…my… _Without warning, Cloud fainted dead away onto Zack's bed.

"…! Cloud! Hey, Cloud!" yelled Zack, shaking Cloud awake.

Sephiroth opened the door and saw Zack shaking Cloud. "…What the hell are you doing?" asked Sephiroth in mild surprise.

Zack glared at Sephiroth. "This is all your fault! Why did you have to go and do that?!"

"Go and do what?" asked Sephiroth delicately.

"You know what you did! You kissed Cloud at night under that mistletoe! I heard you telling yourself about it before you fell asleep!"

"And how does my kissing Cloud have anything to do with his dizziness?"

"His emotions are confused now! SOLDIERs get like this when their emotions are greatly confused! Maybe he's unsure of how he feels about Tifa because of you!"

"Don't tell me you still think Cloud likes Tifa," said Sephiroth. "Surely, after all this time, you noticed."

"Of course he likes Tifa!" yelled Zack defensively. "That's what Cloud told me, and why would he lie to me?"

"To protect himself," answered Sephiroth. "The first love is always a fragile one. Especially if it's your best friend."

Zack looked uncertain for a second, then said, "The way Tifa acts around Cloud, he's sure to not get his heart broken. I'm sure Cloud and Tifa will make an excellent couple one day."

Sephiroth stared in disbelief at Zack. "…my god…" he said slowly. "You have no idea at all… I never thought anyone as smart as you could miss one of the most obvious things in the world…"

"Cloud obviously can't train with you today, so I'll take him to the infirmary," said Zack, standing up.

"No, no, I don't think so," said Sephiroth, coming over to Cloud.

"But surely YOU aren't gonna take him to the infirmary? What of you and your rep? That'll create a scandal."

"No, none of that," said Sephiroth, and he struck Cloud pretty hard.

Cloud gasped and shot up. "No! I'm awake!"

"Glad to hear it." Sephiroth gave Zack a "beat that" look and headed for the door. "Let's get going, Cloud."

Cloud rubbed his cheek, and said, "I'm coming." he stood up, glanced at Zack, and hurried after Sephiroth.

Zack stared at the open door for a few seconds, a weird feeling overcoming him. _…I see what he's up to…! He's making me jealous… He wants me to be jealous…Because he's stealing MY Cloud away…_ Zack stood up and closed the door. "…I see now…" said Zack slowly. "Sephiroth…is falling for Cloud…" Zack covered his mouth in shock. "Sephiroth's falling in love with Cloud," he gasped. "Oh, my god… THAT'S why he wanted to train Cloud personally… He wanted to be around Cloud all the time… so he's been putting the moves on Cloud…" Zack stood still for a few more seconds. "If Tifa ever found that out…"

**Later on that night, at 7:00 PM…**

Vincent stood in front of Reeve's office, glancing at his watch. "Yeah…7:00 on the dot…" he knocked on Reeve's door. "Reeve! I'm here. What did you want to show me?"

Some thumping was heard, along with a cat's yowl, some papers being shuffled, and footsteps. The door opened to reveal Reeve and Cait Sith. "Ah! Good evening, Vince!" exclaimed Reeve.

"Vincent," corrected Vincent automatically.

"Yea, whatever," said Reeve. "Come with me, I have something to show you…" he looked around and walked down the hall.

"…? Is this gonna take long?" asked Vincent, following Reeve. "Where are we going, anyway? I thought it was a matter of utmost importance."

"It is," agreed Reeve. "Cait Sith, you remembered to bring a scarf?"

"Yep, I sure did!" said Cait Sith. He looked up at Vincent and added, "You all bundled up? It's pretty cold outside."

"All I need is a jacket, I never get cold," said Vincent.

"You sure? It's about 21 degrees out there," said Reeve matter-of-factly, putting on a heavy coat, boots, and gloves on.

"I'm sure."

Reeve shrugged nonchalantly. "If you say so. Follow me."

Reeve picked up Cait Sith and led Vincent outside to a far part of Shinra Company. "Where are we going exactly?" asked Vincent loudly in the cold harsh winter wind.

"My house!" answered Reeve. "It needs some fixing up!"

"What? I'm not your nanny! You can fix your own house!"

"No, no, just follow me, I'll explain everything inside."

Vincent opened his mouth to protest, but Reeve was already unlocking the door to an odd looking house and entered it. Vincent sighed exasperatedly and came inside after him, closing the door and locking it. "What do you need me for?"

"Just a quick looking around," answered Reeve as Cait Sith hopped away from Reeve and curled up in a cat basket. "Please, hang your coat up. We have to explore my trick house to make sure it works."

"Trick house?" repeated Vincent, hanging his jacket on the coat hanger. He walked away from it, when…

"THREE…TWO…ONE…FIRE!!!" shouted a robotic-like voice, and three beeps were heard along with what sounded like a mini-rocket launching.

"…?!" went Vincent, whirling around. To his surprise, the coat hanger was launching off…with his jacket still hanging on it! "Aah! My--My jacket! Reeve!"

"What?" asked Reeve, as though nothing unusual happened.

"My jacket! I hung it up on the coat hanger, and the coat hanger just launched off! Make it come back!"

"Vincent, don't be ridiculous! Coat hangers don't just get up and launch off! Be practical and sit down!"

Vincent stammered, pointing at Reeve and the now-gone coat hanger, then sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just tell me what this is all about," he said, taking a seat on the sofa.

**-PFFFFFT!!!-**

"…!" Vincent hurriedly stood up abashedly.

Cait Sith sniggered in his cat basket, and Reeve (while stifling a smile and laughter) exclaimed, "Vincent! Contain yourself!"

"Bu-- It wasn't me!" said Vincent defensively.

"It must have been you," disagreed Reeve. "It was heard when YOU sat down."

"No, I didn't--"

"Whoever denies it applied it," sniggered Cait Sith.

"You little… Oooh!" groaned Vincent in annoyance, sitting down huffily. _It must have been his stupid whoopee cushion…_ thought Vincent bitterly. _That stupid son of a…_

"Anyway, Vincent, I need you to come with me around the house and check everything. It's new, and I need someone to make sure it's all right."

"So I'm your guinea pig now?" asked Vincent. "Well, that makes me feel loads better about myself."

"No, not a guinea pig!" said Reeve reassuringly. "You are the only person to ever set foot in this place! You're lucky!"

"Glory…"

"Anyway, come with me. We go check out the first room." Reeve stood up and walked down the hall.

Cait Sith stood up and said to Vincent, "We must get going, yes?"

"Yeah, whatever," muttered Vincent, following Cait Sith and Reeve down a oddly lit hall. He looked around and spotted a whole row of mirrors. "…" he quickly checked his reflection in the mirror, fixing his hair and shirt. _There, at least I look nice…_ he curiously looked at all the mirrors. _I wonder if they do the same thing…?_ Forgetting that he was supposed to be following Reeve and Cait Sith, Vincent walked to the next mirror.

It made Vincent look older. Much, much older. "Ah-hah!" wailed Vincent, backing up. "I'm _old_!! I look worse then Hojo-sama!" He made a face at his older self in the mirror and hurried to the next one.

This mirror made Vincent look younger. Toddler young. "Eew…I'm so chubby," muttered Vincent. "Is that really how I looked when I was only a toddler…?" Vincent shook his head and moved on to the next mirror.

The mirror here was like any standard trick house mirror; it make Vincent look very tall and scrawny. "…ugh…" muttered Vincent distastefully. He curiously checked the next mirror, which made Vincent look short and stout. "Oh, that's just…." Vincent shook himself of the image and went to the last mirror in the hallway.

_A mirror that shows you as a different gender…_ thought Vincent. _Pretty impressive… I--I look good as a women…_ Vincent smiled to himself and pretended to strike different poses. "Oh, yeah, you sexy! You sexy, girly-girl!" he said to his female reflection.

Reeve chose that time to come back and see what was keeping Vincent so long. "…Ahem, Vincent? What the heck are you doing?"

Vincent jumped and whirled around. "!!! Reeve! I--I was just… I…I was checking out your mirrors," he muttered embarrassedly.

"I see that," said Reeve stiffly, trying to stifle sniggering. "Come on, we don't have all night!"

"Sorry…" Vincent sighed. _Great, I'm letting myself get carried away with childish game mirrors…_ He followed Reeve and Cait Sith to a room filled with differently colored mats. "What's with all these mats?" asked Vincent."

"I don't know," answered Reeve.

Vincent fell over anime style and got back up. "What was that?! This is YOUR house, and you don't even know what these mats do?!" he demanded.

"Hey, these mats are brand new. I got them in yesterday, and didn't feel bothered to try them out. After all, you -beeps- of Shinra get to do all the dirty work, yes?"

"Well, yes, we're the -beeps- of Shinra, but… We do dirty work that's meaningful! That actually has a point!"

"This _does_ have a point!" said Reeve defensively. "Just step on those mats and see what they do."

Vincent rolled his eyes. "There are only three mats….this won't take long…" He stepped on a red mat. "…nothing's happening," he informed Reeve.

"Try moving around," advised Cait Sith. "It's probably motion sensitive."

"Motion sensitive," repeated Vincent, stepping on the red mat.

**-poof-**

Reeve and Cait Sith howled with laughter. "AHAHAHAAHHAH!!! SO that's what it does!"

"Hey, let me out of here!" came Vincent's voice, muffled from behind the wall.

"Sorry about that! Laughed Reeve, pushing a button.

"Aah!" wailed Vincent as he fell from the wall to the ground. "Oof! Owie…"

"If you think that was good, wait till you try the other three mats!" laughed Reeve.

Vincent lifted his head up with a weary sigh. _We'll be at this all night…Why? Why me…?_  
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**We'll let Vincent's saga continue next chapter! See you then!**


	49. Chapter 49

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **Vincent gets a two-part thing too. Nice.

**A/N: **Yeah…and enter Yuffie Kisaragi. Lets move on…

**Chapter Forty-Eight: The Advent of the New Year! Part 3**  
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Vincent climbed out of the attic of Reeve's trick house, coughing. "It--It was trapped up there," he informed Reeve. "Everywhere I stepped, bags of dust fell on me. And I didn't see no Moogle doll up there…"

"Oh, that's too bad," said Reeve. "I'm pretty sure I saw one up there…" he shrugged. "Oh, well, it's no big loss. I guess we're through with searching my house."

"Yeah, and it's now deemed a perfect trick house!" said Cait Sith happily. "Thanks for your assistance, Vincent!"

"Whatever," muttered Vincent, dusting his shirt and pants off.

"Before we let you go back to work, we need you to check one last thing with us. It's this scooter I have. I need two people to test it out."

"Me, all right, and who else?"

"We'll drive out to meet her," answered Reeve, leading Vincent and Cait Sith outside. "Behold, Vincent!" exclaimed Reeve. "The white scooter bike Miracle!"

Vincent stared blankly at the scooter. "That's a scooter…You seriously aren't going to ride this, are you?" asked Vincent skeptically.

"If it's safe, sure," answered Reeve. "Now let's hop on and meet my partner!"

"Whoa, wait, we're _both_ gonna ride it? Where on earth is Cait Sith gonna sit?"

"Cait Sith is gonna sit here!" answered Reeve, placing Cait Sith in the scooter's basket.

"I'm comfy in here!" said Cait Sith happily.

"And we're gonna drive to Yuffie? Why?"

"She'll explain it all when we meet here. Now hop on."

"Forget it, I'm not holding on to _your_ waist," said Vincent.

**Five minutes later…**

Vincent sighed, sitting behind Reeve, holding on to his waist as to not fall off. "Why are we headed for Midgar? Is Yuffie there now?"

"Yep! You and her have been given a special mission," said Reeve. "I don't know the details myself, but like I said earlier, Yuffie will give you the details."

_Great, now I'm stuck with a special secret mission with Yuffie… Just my luck…_

A few minutes later, Reeve brought Miracle to a halt and hopped off. "Come on, we'll meet Yuffie at the 7th Heaven Bar," he called over his shoulder.

Cait Sith hopped out of the basket and followed Reeve. Vincent shook his head and followed. They entered the 7th Heaven Bar and Vincent looked around. "A bit late for Christmas décor, don't you think?"

Tifa looked up from the bar. "Oh! Good evening, sirs! But no pets are allowed inside," she said, pointing to Cait Sith.

Cait Sith gasped and quickly pretended to be a doll. Reeve laughed and said, "No, no, this is my doll! A good luck charm I had ever since I was a wee little boy! I never leave home without my good luck doll."

"…oh…" said Tifa slowly. "I could've sworn it was walking…" she shrugged it off and asked, "You boys like a drink?"

"Yes, actually, can we see the menu?"

"Here you go."

"Thanks," said Reeve, taking the menu. "Sit down, Vincent, and have a drink."

"I don't drink," answered Vincent bluntly.

"Come on, just one drink!" prompted Barret, coming downstairs. "I just put Marlene to bed, so she'll be fine," he explained to Tifa.

"Good," said Tifa.

Vincent sighed resignedly and glanced at the menu. "Hmm…I'll have…water."

"I'll have a glass of the Good House Milled Beer," said Reeve, folding the menu. "That sounds good!"

"It is good!" agreed Tifa, getting a glass of Good House Milled Beer while Barret got some water for Vincent. "You're gonna love it!"

The door burst open and a girl of about 11 years old entered the bar. "Reeve!" she called. "There you are!" she squealed in delight when she noticed Vincent. "And Vinceypoo is here too!"

_Oh, great,_ thought Vincent. _It's Yuffie the stalker…_ He drank his water as Yuffie sat down next to him. "So what are we doing here now?"

"We're applying for jobs here," answered Reeve, taking a 'help-wanted' application. "Yuffie, fill Vincent in."

Cid opened the kitchen door. "I kinda burned the steak, so don't be alarmed if the smoke detector goes off…" he trailed off when he spotted Yuffie. "…!" he rushed back into the kitchen.

Tifa stared after Cid weirdly. "I'll go ahead and turn the smoke detector off then," she said, turning the fire alarms off.

"Ooh, steak!" said Yuffie excitedly. "Can we have some?"

"Uhm…sure," said Tifa. "But aren't you a bit young to be coming to a bar?"

"I got a license to drink when I was 5 in Wutai," answered Yuffie. "Kids drink there all the time."

"Wow," commented Barret.

"…okay, if you say so. I'll need to see that license," said Tifa.

"Sure!" answered Yuffie cheerfully, handing Tifa her license to drink. "It's all right there. You can get drinking licenses in Wutai, didn't you know that?"

"Can you just hurry and explain to me why we're taking jobs here?" hissed Vincent as Reeve completed each application form. "I already have a perfectly good job with the Turks! …unless I'm fired?!" he gasped in shock.

"No, no, not fired," answered Yuffie as Tifa continued to examine the license. "You've been selected by me and Reeve, the heads of Intelligence, to…work with the employees of the 7th Heaven Bar. I'll explain in detail when we get upstairs."

"In-Intelligence?!" repeated Vincent.

"Here," said Tifa, handing Yuffie her license and a menu. "Sorry for being rude in my asking."

"It's no trouble," said Yuffie, taking the license and menu.

Tifa walked to the kitchen and came inside. "Cid, will you g0 take care of our customers? I'll start making the pie."

"No, it's all right," said Cid. "I'll start the pie."

"Don't be silly, you hate cooking," smiled Tifa. "Go on, Cid, it's all right."

"But--But I--" Cid was shoved out of the kitchen. He saw Yuffie reading the menu and quickly turned around. _Hopefully, she won't notice me at all…! Maybe she doesn't remember me…_

Yuffie set the menu down and said to Cid, "Hey, you!"

Cid glanced side to side, hoping she was talking to Barret. But Barret was taking the garbage out. _Oh, no… now what? I can't just talk to her… Not after what happened…_ he grinned hugely and turned around. "Yes, miss?"

Yuffie blinked and said, "I'd like a glass of Châteaux '90."

"Châteaux '90?" repeated Cid, still grinning hugely. "That's our most popular drink, you know. I'll bet you'll love it."

"I'm sure I will…" said Yuffie slowly. _Wow, this guy's acting weird…_

Reeve asked, "Who do I give these applications to?"

"Just give them to Tifa when she comes out of the kitchen," answered Cid, his speech starting to sound strained due to his huge grin. He poured a generous amount of Châteaux '90 into a wineglass and handed it to Yuffie. "Here."

"Thanks," answered Yuffie, taking the glass and drinking it in one gulp.

"You'll get sick if you drink it like that," said Vincent. "You should try to take in your drinks slow and easy."

"You lose all the flavor doing that," countered Yuffie. "Châteaux is meant to be drunken quickly otherwise you'll taste nothing."

"That's true," said Tifa, coming out of the kitchen. "So you three would like jobs here, huh? That's excellent! Really excellent! Why not go upstairs and get your outfits fitted and such? The bar opened about 2 and a half hours ago, but some customers might show up."

"All right!" said Reeve. "Thanks soo much! We'll be right down!"

"Which rooms are ours?" asked Vincent.

"What are your names first?" asked Tifa.

"I'm Reeve," answered Reeve. "And these two are my buddies Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kirisangi! We've always wanted to work at a bar, and you gave us that opportunity!"

"You're every welcome," said Tifa. "All right then, Reeve, you get the room across from mine; Vincent, you get the room next to Barret and Marlene's; and Yuffie, you get the room next to Cid's room."

Cid dropped a glass, causing it to break on the floor. "Ah!" yelped Yuffie. "Wow, be more careful next time!"

"Su-Sure…" stammered Cid, sweeping the broken glass.

Barret stared at Cid, then whispered to Tifa, "Cid's been acting really weird ever since that Yuffie girl came in. Does he know something about her that we don't?"

"Probably…" whispered Tifa back. "We'll ask him at closing hours."

Cid dumped the broken glass into the trash bag and hurried upstairs, calling over his shoulder, "I'm feeling tired tonight, so I'm going to sleep early!"

Tifa watched Cid hurry upstairs, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry about him. He's not usually like this."

"That's all right," said Reeve. "Now let's go upstairs and get our waiter outfits ready!"

"Sure," chorused Vincent and Yuffie. They followed Reeve upstairs. "Now can we talk in detail about our secret mission?" asked Vincent irritably.

"We're here to spy on the employees of the 7th Heaven Bar. Shachoo ordered us here to watch anyone considered to be a friend or family of Cloud Strife."

"And why are we spying on the friends and family of Cloud Strife?" asked Vincent.

"Shachoo wouldn't tell us the whole plans," said Reeve. "He just told us to spy, and when the time is ripe, he'll reveal the whole plan. But for now, we're to keep watching on them. If they mention Cloud, write it down. If Tifa e-mails Cloud, reroute the e-mail to your computer. Even a phone call must be tapped at all times."

"And I have a mission all my own," said Cait Sith, shaking himself from any stiffness. "I have to find out their life story, and see if we can learn Cloud's _real_ life story from them. I being an excellent spy can do this!"

"I'm sure you can," said Yuffie, pulling out a materia.

"What's that for?" asked Vincent.

"My dinner," answered Yuffie, taking a bite out of the materia.

"Oh my goodness!" yowled Vincent, standing up. "You just took a bite out of that materia!"

Yuffie stopped chewing for a few seconds, looking around with her eyes. "So?" she asked with a mouth full of materia.

"But--But materia is as hard as rocks! It can't be taken a bite out of so easily, can it?! What if you break your teeth?!"

"Hah ha! I can't," laughed Yuffie, taking another bite out of the materia. "I've been eating materia ever since I was a little baby! I literally live off of this stuff! It's good!"

"Where do you get yoru hands on such materia? They're so hard to find!"

"I find them here and there," answered Yuffie mysteriously with a smile. "I'm very sneaky." She held out the half-bitten materia. "Want some?"

Vincent made a face. "Ugh… no thanks."

Yuffie shrugged. "Suit yourself." she stuffed the last of the materia in her mouth, and took her outfit to the bathroom to change.

Reeve glanced at Vincent. "You've never eaten a materia before?"

"No…" said Vincent slowly, staring at Reeve weirdly. "You'd have to be really nuts to eat a materia."

"But materia is good," argued Yuffie, coming out of the bathroom in her waiter outfit. "I'll be downstairs getting started. See you down there!"

Yuffie came downstairs, nearly crashing into Cid. "Man, I think I'll start calling you Mr. Clumsy!" said Yuffie playfully. "Be more careful, huh?"

"…sure!" said Cid cheerfully. _I shouldn't try to act weird around her…but…what if she finds out?_ he followed Yuffie downstairs.

"Cid, can I have a word with you really quick?" asked Tifa.

"Of course," said Cid, following Tifa into the kitchen. "What's up?"

Tifa leaned against the counter, eying Cid for a few seconds. "You're not acting like yourself, you know. It's got me and Barret worried. You suddenly acted nervous and jumpy after you saw Yuffie."

Cid opened his mouth, then closed it.

"See, there!" exclaimed Tifa, pointing at Cid. "Normally, you'd come out right and say nothing's wrong, or tell me what's wrong." Tifa crossed her arms. "Now tell me what's happened."

"Like I said, you're mother hen," smiled Cid. "Nothing's wrong! I'm just fine!"

"Fine is not breaking yoru favorite wineglass and throwing it away rather the fixing it," said Tifa. "Come on, Cid buddy. We're friends, after all…_and_ I'm your employer. I want to know if there's anything wrong with my friends and employees. So, go on and tell me what's wrong."

Cid looked back, and forth, and back again, and said to Tifa quietly, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes, of course," said Tifa.

"All right…just don't tell anyone…" Cid looked around again, and whispered to Tifa, "I'm Yuffie Kirisangi's father."

**Meanwhile, over at Shinra Company…**

Cloud sat down on Sephiroth's couch, shaking any dizziness from himself. _I have to keep a clear head, or who knows what Sephy will do…_

Sephiroth was watching Cloud. "And that's all you remember?" he asked disappointedly. "But you won't tell me who that brown haired lady was?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, I won't tell. I can't ever tell anyone about it. I've told you this before, Sephy. Can't you just drop it?"

"No, I can't, cause I'm very curious."

"…aren't we done yet?" asked Cloud wearily. "I'm pretty tired, and I'd like to get some sleep."

"Fine, you big baby," sighed Sephiroth. "We can continue tomorrow if you want. It is past your bedtime."

"I usually go to sleep at 11:00...it's about 8:43 PM…" Cloud yawned and stood up. "Oh, Sephy, one last thing," he said, looking up at Sephiroth. "Have you seen the gift that Zack gave to me? It's a dolly of me."

"No, I haven't," said Sephiroth with a smile. "But if I do, I'll let you know."

"And my black ribbon… Can I have that back too?"

"…maybe later," said Sephiroth slowly. "You go get some sleep."

"…all right," yawned Cloud again. "Boy, I'm soo tired… good night, Sephy…" he trudged out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Sephiroth stared at the door. "Hey…you kidnapped my fluffy light blue slippers… Oh, you'll be back in a few minutes for your boots…"

Sure enough, Cloud opened the door. "Sorry, I forgot to change my shoes," he muttered, kicking the slippers off and putting his boots on. "Good night again, Sephy."

"Good night, Cloud," answered Sephiroth. Cloud nodded sleepily and closed the door behind him. Sephiroth stood up and went to his bedroom, flopping back first onto his bed. _Good night yourself, Cloud…and I can't wait to say good morning to you tomorrow…_ he lifted his head a little to glance at Cloud's doll and ribbon. He smiled to himself and drifted into an easy sleep.  
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**Thus endeth part 3 of 6. We're halfway through! I bet you can't wait to read Cid's chapter coming up next! See you then! Bye for now!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Life as a SOLDIER**

**Disclaimer: **The mention of fairies and elves later on in this chapter is not any relation to Fairy Red. It's just random chance that Cid encounters in the woods. Just understand that.

**A/N: **Of course the fairies and elves below have nothing to do with me! As if I'd introduce myself in this fanfic! Only amateurs do that!  
**Mario: **Or extremely gifted writers who know how to let themselves into the fanfic without ruining the story do that.  
**Me: **…or that. -shrugs- Thanks for waiting! And these aren't the only updates I'll have coming! Oh-hoh, no! There's plenty more where these came from! HAH! With that, let's carry on!

**Chapter Forty-Nine: The Advent of the New Year! Part 4**  
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Tifa gaped at Cid. "…you…? You're Yuffie's father…?"

"Yes…I am," agreed Cid.

"…no way…" breathed Tifa. "You--You CAN'T be a father to somebody…! I mean, you…"

"Shocking, I know," said Cid. "Let me tell you the story, short and sweet. I met Yuffie's mother, I fell in love with her, I seduced her, Yuffie's mother had Yuffie, and I left Wutai to work at Shinra Company."

Tifa stared blankly. "All that?"

"Yes," answered Cid.

"If you fell in love with Yuffie's mother, why didn't you tell her you loved her?" asked Tifa in disbelief. "You wouldn't have to do something as drastic as that to win Yuffie's mother's love! What was her name, anyway?"

Cid shrugged. "I dunno."

"You don't know or you don't remember?"

"Either…or both."

"You're unbelievable!" exclaimed Tifa. "How could you stand there and admit freely that you have a love child?!"

"I'm southern," said Cid proudly. "We're born shameless."

"…right…" said Tifa slowly. "Well…well, okay then. Now I know the truth. Does Yuffie know the truth?"

"I…no, she doesn't," said Cid slowly.

"Then why are you afraid she'll recognize you? If she's never seen you, how have you seen her?"

"I visited Wutai when she was 5. For her birthday, I bought her a drinking license."

"_You_ got her that drinking license," said Tifa in surprise. "What a nice birthday gift… Did Yuffie's mother know that you got her the drinking license?"

"Yes, she signed it for me. She agreed to not let Yuffie know about me. She wanted to protect me…and Yuffie."

"I see…" said Tifa. "Well…thanks for telling me. Now I know what's bugging you. But I don't think Yuffie will be too upset to know that you are her father. After all, she looks nothing like you." she opened the door slightly to take a look at Yuffie. "Except the nose."

"You think so?" asked Cid, rubbing his nose. "I don't think our noses look alike…"

"Well, that's just my opinion," said Tifa with a shrug. "Well, let's close up early tonight and get some sleep."

"Okay," said Cid. "We'll finish dinner and catch some Zs."

"Okay," agreed Tifa, coming out of the kitchen.

Cid pulled the pie out of the oven and set it on the stove to cool. "Hmm…our noses look alike…" thought Cid aloud, rubbing his nose again. "At least she got something from me…"

**The next morning…at Shinra Company…**

Cloud had reluctantly gotten up at 6:00 AM, waiting for Sephiroth to show up. "It's two days after Christmas," muttered Cloud to himself, sitting at his table. He glanced down at all the gifts he received for Christmas. _….Sephy had better explain what that collar means…_ Cloud thought about it for a few seconds, closing his eyes as he remembered the last time someone told him about a collar.

_**Flash: "Why are you giving that Chocobo a collar?" Cloud asked curiously as Tifa applied a collar around a Chocobo's neck…**_

_**Flash: Tifa smiled at Cloud and answered, "A collar shows ownership. If I put a collar on the Chocobo, then other people know to not shoot it or steal it. See the collar tag?" she pointed to the collar tag. "It says 'Tifa Lockhart' on it. Anybody in Nibelheim will know that this belongs to be, because it has my name on it…**_

Cloud opened his eyes wide, blushing suddenly. _Do-Does Sephy claim to _own_ me?! Why--Why would he do that!?_ he stood up hurriedly. _No, I--I don't belong to no one! No one can lay claim to me…!_

Cloud glanced at the collar, and noticed that the collar had a tag on it. He hesitated for a few seconds, and picked it up to read the tag. It read: "Whoever or whatever should be wearing this, it means you now belong to me, Sephiroth."

_"_Awa….!" wailed Cloud, dropping the collar and backing up. _He's claiming to own me…?! He gave me the collar because…he _wants_ me!?_

The door opened and Sephiroth poked his head in. "What happened?" he asked. "I heard you go 'awa'."

"I--what…?!" Cloud glanced fearfully between the collar and Sephiroth. "No--Nothing's wrong! I-I'm fine, I… I was…"

Sephiroth noticed the collar on the table and smirked. "Ah…you've discovered why I gave it to you."

"Yes, that I did!" exclaimed Cloud. "What's going through your head, thinking that giving me a collar for Christmas will make me yours?!"

"You sound so shocked," said Sephiroth, closing the door behind him. He approached Cloud slowly, saying, "But you showed no objection when Zack laid claim to you."

"What are you talking about?!" demanded Cloud, backing up as Sephiroth came closer. "He--He never…!"

"What of that black ribbon he gave you? You said he called you his gift to him. A gift is something given to somebody, therefore making that something belonging to someone. Zack claimed to own you the day he gave you that ribbon."

"Wha..? No, no!" shouted Cloud, shaking his head. "Zack would never think like that! He--He's different from you!"

"Anything Zack befriends or loves always ends up as his. You know that choker that Aeris wears?" asked Sephiroth. "Zack gave that to her too. One of Zack's SOLDIER friends? Those gloves are custom made…by Zack. The other SOLDIER friend? He wears his hair in a small ponytail, with a hair thing that Zack gave to him. You and the black ribbon are no different."

"That's--That's not true!" cried Cloud. "Zack isn't…he-he's not..!"

"You should learn not to live with delusions." Sephiroth had gotten Cloud against a wall. "You are like so many other tragic things. Things that were meant not to own, but be owned." Sephiroth took Cloud's hands. "And you are that to me. You are mine."

Cloud stared in shock up at Sephiroth, then cried out and tried to pull away from him. "Let me go! Let me go!!"

Sephiroth just laughed at Cloud's vain attempts to break free. "Don't try to run, Cloud. You can't escape it. Nothing you can do will make me go away."

Cloud yelled desperately, making another attempt to break free. "Let me go, you're hurting me!"

The door opened again and Zack came in. "Cloud, what's-- What's going on!? Sephiroth, what are you doing?!"

"Let's call this training," said Sephiroth with an evil grin.

Zack ran over to Cloud and Sephiroth and pulled Cloud away from Sephiroth. "What do you think your doing to Cloud?!" demanded Zack, hiding Cloud behind him. "This is NOT training! This is cruelty! And torture! How can you live with tormenting Cloud?!"

"Because I bought him long ago!" answered Sephiroth. "He gave himself to me freely! I not only bought his freedom, I bought him!"

"You left me no choice!" cried Cloud from behind Zack. "You wouldn't let me choose!"

"You still agreed," said Sephiroth. "You agreed because you _had_ no choice. None except me."

"He has me!" exclaimed Zack. "He was happier with me! Whenever he comes back from you, he's always in pain, always tired… You're just a sadist out to make sure Cloud suffers as much as possible!"

"And how long did it take you to figure that out?" asked Sephiroth. "His pain is my pleasure!"

"His happiness is mine!" retorted Zack. "I can't let him near you any more!"

"Do you really want to _fight_ me for him?" asked Sephiroth skeptically. "You'd be dead in less then a minute."

"I will not be fought for!" yelled Cloud, running towards the door. "I don't belong to nobody! Just leave me alone!"

"Cloud! Wait!" called Zack.

"No…no! I won't…!" Cloud shook his head, and quickly ran out of the room.

"Cloud!" yelled Zack.

"I'll catch him long before you do," said Sephiroth calmly. "And when I do…oh, how sorry Cloud will be for _ever _talking to me like that."

**Meanwhile, at the 7****th**** Heaven Bar…**

Compared to the chaos witnessed at Shinra Company, the 7th Heaven Bar was pretty quiet. The only ones awake were Cid and Tifa.

"Hey, Tifa, look!" exclaimed Cid. "A rainbow!"

"So?" yawned Tifa. She didn't even realize that it was impossible to see rainbows in winter.

"I'm gonna follow it and bring back a big bag of gold!"

"A big bag of gold?" asked Tifa, drinking some coffee.

"Yep! Then we can make this into a hotel! A suite!"

"Then go astound me and bring back a big bag of gold," mumbled Tifa, drinking some more coffee sleepily.

"I sure will!" said Cid excitedly. He put his jacket on and hurried after the end of the rainbow. _What incredible luck I have!_ thought Cid. _To find a rainbow AND its pot of gold! Thank you, Lady Luck! _After a long half hour of running, Cid reached the edges of the Forgotten City. "Ah! There's the pot of gold…!" Cid crept towards it slowly, and looked inside…only to find the pot empty. "…what the…?"

"Looking for something?" inquired a voice.

Cid jumped and looked down at a fairy who was leaning on the pot, watching Cid carefully. "Uh…ahem, where's the gold?" asked Cid casually.

"Oh, I got tired of people stealing my gold from my pot," answered the fairy. "So I switched to this platinum MasterCard," she said, lifting a platinum MasterCard. "It's pretty useful. No-one's stolen my gold at all."

"Oh…" said Cid slowly in disappointment. "It's just…nothing, never mind."

"I bet you wanted to steal my gold," said the fairy shrewdly. "I don't blame you. Gold is a pretty valuable thing to you mortals, huh? It becomes gil for you, and you need gil for everything and anything."

"…well, if you put it that way, then I suppose the answer is yes…"

The fairy shrugged. "Okay, then. Here," she said, holding out a bag of gold.

Cid gasped. "You--You mean it?"

The fairy smiled. "Use it well mortal.

"Actually, my name is Cid Highwind," answered Cid.

"I see… OH!" shouted the fairy suddenly. "Look, a unicorn!"

"Where?" asked Cid, looking around for a unicorn. There was none. "Hey, I don't see it…" he trailed off upon noticed that the fairy was no longer there. "…huh. That's strange," said Cid, scratching his head and walking back to the bar with a bag of gold. As he approached the bar, he heard shouting voices. "…!" he hurriedly ran to the bar.

Tifa's bar was being robbed by a mobster-looking man, and he was pointing a gun at Tifa. "Now show me the safe!" he yelled.

"Su-sure," stammered Tifa, feeling to tired to fight. She went behind the bar to the safe. "Here it is… Do you want me to open it?"

"No, I want you to dance with it," said the mobster-looking man sarcastically. Tifa (knowing that you should do as a crazy man says or he'll kill you) tried to figure out how to carry the safe to dance with it. The mobster-looking man rolled his eyes and shouted, "Yes, open it!"

Tifa flinched and knelt down to the safe to open it. As she fiddled with the safe's combinations, the mobster waited impatiently.

"Hey, look at me when I talk to you!" he shouted.

"…I can't open the safe and look at you at the same time," said Tifa, trying to be reasonable with this man.

"Okay, okay!" said the mobster, raising his arms. "I'm the piece of shit. I'm a nobody." Tifa shivered and continued to enter the combination. The mobster noticed a watch on the bar counter and asked, "Hey, does this watch have any features on it?"

Tifa glanced up quickly to see what he was talking about. "Yeah, it has a stopwatch," she said. "I haven't figured out how to work it yet, though."

"You just push this button right here," said the mobster, pushing a button on the watch. "See, even this piece of shit knows how to work this stopwatch--"

**-BOOM!!-**

Tifa stopped, and slowly stood up to see what happened. The mobster fell over dead, and Cid stood at the doorway, a gun in his hands. She stared in shock at Cid, as though asking an explanation. "He was gonna kill you," said Cid worriedly.

Tifa walked around the bar to see the dead mobster. "He…he's dead?"

"You don't hate me now, do you?" asked Cid, lowering the gun.

"No, I don't hate you, it's just…" Tifa closed her eyes and rubbed her head. "Getting up early and the violence suddenly in the morning is a little much…"

"Well…what now?" asked Cid, tossing the gun somewhere.

"Well, we better hope no-one upstairs heard the gunshot," said Tifa, still rubbing her head.

"Too late," muttered Cid, hearing thumping upstairs.

Vincent came downstairs, quickly followed by Yuffie and Barret. "What happened?" asked Vincent, his gun at the ready.

"Did someone attack us?" asked Yuffie, pulling out a four-point boomerang.

"I warn you, I'm armed!" yelled Barret, his mechanical arm becoming a machine gun. Yuffie and Vincent stared at Barret. "What?" asked Barret.

"It--It's nothing," stammered Tifa. "It's just… Cid saved me from this mobster. He was robbing the bar, and Cid thought he was gonna kill me, so he shot him."

"Oh," said Barret, his mechanical arm returning to normal.

"Well, what do we do with the body?" asked Vincent, putting his gun away.

"Get rid of it, I suppose," said Yuffie, pocketing her boomerang. "Let someone else deal with it."

"Good idea," said Cid. He dragged the body outside and into an alleyway. He came back inside and dusted his hands off.

"Why, Cid, you're a hero," said Yuffie. "You saved Tifa today!"

"A hero? Me?" asked Cid. He cleared his throat and drew himself to full height. "Of course I'm a hero! I knew I could save Tifa all along!"

"Aw, Cid! You're so brave!" chorused everyone.

Tifa took a shuddering breath and said, "I'll-I'll be at Aeris's church. I need to calm down…"

"Of course, Tifa. We understand," said Vincent. "Hope you feel better soon."

Tifa nodded and walked shakily to Aeris's church. She knocked on the door and called, "Aeris! Can we talk?"

Footsteps were heard, and Aeris opened the door curiously. "Tifa!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"We need to talk… You'll never believe what happened this morning!" Tifa came inside and sat down at the front bench.

Aeris blinked and closed the door. "Of course, Tifa. I'm all ears. Tell me all about it. I was looking forward to seeing you today."

"I… You were?" asked Tifa suddenly.

"Yes," said Aeris. "I have something I need to talk to you about too. But you can go first."

"…all right," said Tifa, and got started on her story of how she was attacked that morning…  
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**WOW! What a violent chapter! Funny, a little, but mostly violent! -slaps forehead- I said these were gonna be FUNNY LIGHTHEARTED 6-part story… I can't ever keep a promise. Oh, well. A quick warning: some Tifa/Aeris coming up. Not a standard shojo-ai pairing, but I want to see how it works out. Just letting you know! See you then! Bye!**


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